New images aim to show how dementia can change the way we see the world.
Shifts in the patterns of wallpaper design or the locations of items may not seem like much – but they add up to an unsettling change in how someone perceives the world around them.
One image shows a kitchen with handwritten-notes pasted to the walls. An edited version makes these notes harder to read.
Created by nursing home company Amica, the images are of a kitchen, living room and garden.
In the case of the kitchen, while written reminders can be helpful for people with dementia, the company says the condition can sometimes make words seem like a jumble of letters.
The image also shows dying flowers and a pair of glasses. These objects are designed to show how many people with dementia have trouble looking after their home, and may be more likely to misplace their posessions.
Another image depicts misplaced items in a garden. Amica says people with dementia often leave items like shoes in places that made sense at the time, but makes them hard to find later.
Leaving sharp objects like garden tools in innapropriate places, like on a sofa, can put people with dementia at risk of injury.
The image also shows a darkened sky. This is intended to show how disorientating it can be to think it is evening when it is actually morning, for example.
A third image of a living room shows some of the visual distortions people with dementia can experience. A polka-dot wallpaper pattern is replaced by bugs, and the view from a window becomes distorted as if the viewer is looking through curved glass.
Amica also says dementia can make people more sensitive to light and change the way they see shadows. This can make lamps appear very bright and make shadows look like black holes.
Certain diseases can stops the brain working properly and cause dementia. In the early stages, it can make people forgetful, more easily confused and can affect their mood.
As it gets worse, dementia can make it hard for people to communicate and do other normal things like eat, drink, wash and get dressed.
Dementia tends to affect the over-65s, but younger people can develop it too.
There are thought to be around 850,000 people living with dementia in the UK, and that number is expected to reach `1million by 2025, according to Alzheimer’s Research U.K.
Researchers think it could double to 2million by 2050.
MORE : Is processed meat a major risk factor for dementia?
Discussion about this post