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This article explains how low cost poster frames, such as snap frames, can be used in residential Dementia care for effective easy-change picture door signs. When memory and comprehension start to fade pictures can help make residents feel more confident and better able to function.
With colour office printers and digital images so freely available someone with a little skill and imagination can create simple personalised pictures, which can make a real difference. The print-outs will need to be displayed safely and securely, which can be achieved at low cost by using snap-open frames stuck or screwed onto room doors, in corridors and outside public rooms. Read on to discover how this option might work for you.
One of the most popular options for displaying information in residential care homes are picture recognition signs that are mainly for the benefit of Alzheimer's sufferers. Although these are very useful in the aid of a person suffering from memory loss they often retail at £20 or more, and can only be used for one purpose. However an easy-change picture door sign is a multi-purpose option which can cost as little as £4 each for an attractive A4 snap frame and can be reused and re-purposed as often as required.
We suggest you choose an image or photo with which the resident can identify. One idea is to find a picture which represents the person's early life or some memory which they mention - for example, an image associated with the job they did or a hobby.
The Dementia sector seem to be choosing this option increasingly within the care homes they manage. Once a photo or other picture along with the resident's name has been printed, this can be inserted into a frame which is either screwed or stuck to a resident's bedroom door - or alongside the door if preferred. With this simple aid residents can be more confident as they do not have to remember exactly which room is theirs. The picture alongside the name will also help them find their friends' rooms, especially if their friend's names are forgotten.
The frames can be various sizes although A4 and A5 (half A4) are the most popular. The four sides of the frame are easy to snap open and an in-house printed picture along with name plus some basic information if required can be inserted and the frame snapped closed to hold the information in position. Certain snap frames such as Opti Frames have the same features as a regular snap frame but have rounded tipped corners which can be helpful around a care home environment as they are especially safe. Snap frame door signs can be opened easily by staff but do not generally suffer from tampering by those not familiar with the method of opening. If tampering is considered a problem there are tamper resistant frames available (they require a special tool to open the four sides of the frame). The A4 size snap frame is ideal if space allows while the A5 frames are more compact but the photo will have to be smaller at 6" x 8" picture size.
An attractive feature of the frames to the care home are that when a new resident arrives, all that is needed is a standard office printer and some basic IT skills in order to print out the paper insert. This is done at little cost, and when for instance a nursing home patient vacates the room or moves then it is cheap and easy to replace the insert with the new patient's information. This would therefore be a suitable method for nursing homes supporting temporary patients, or indeed new staff as it will also help them remember patients' names and room numbers.
These frames can also be used in situations where a picture of a toilet could be inserted along with an arrow pointing in the direction of the toilet or indeed on the toilet door itself. These are effectively acting as sign posts which can help prevent accidents and floor wetting within the care home. The same concept can be used in the instance of a knife and fork for the dining room as well as many similar visual prompts for other rooms within the care home.
One of the main attractions to this use of signage is that it is discreet yet clearly visible. Many dementia and Alzheimer's sufferers initially do not like to admit that they cannot remember which room they reside in, or even where the toilet is. This is therefore a discreet way of giving residents a gentle reminder without making them feel incapable.
Easy change Picture Door Signs especially for the dementia sector of care homes are available throughout the UK from Green Magic Company. There are also reseller opportunities for suitable companies who already supply products to care homes and retirement homes - A5 frames and A4 Snap Frame Door Signs are one of the most cost effective options for placing a self printed sign or picture on a door or corridor wall.
