Awareness of ‘sound’ in nursing homes: A large-scale soundscape survey in Flanders (Belgium)

Abstract

There are relatively few studies on the acoustic environment of care facilities. However, sound is an important component of the users' experience and quality of life in these spaces, and particularly in nursing homes, where both staff and residents have medium-to long-term perspectives, contrarily to hospital settings. This study included an online large-scale survey for nursing homes in Flanders and it targeted the group of professionals. It aimed at providing an overview about noise sensitivity and sound perception of the staff members in their work environment, as well as investigating the potential effects on sound perception of staff role and context. Results showed that limited differences emerged for staff roles, while more differences were found when exploring the context factor. Overall, the results of this study claim for further attention on the management and design of the sound environment in these facilities.

Designing Supportive Soundscapes for Nursing Home Residents with Dementia

“…Indoor sound levels in nursing homes are reported for the different type of rooms present [10,[60][61][62]. The existing soundscape in a nursing home (on the level of the living rooms) could often be described as giving an annoying, monotonous and uneventful perception [11]. This indicates that added acoustic stimuli could be deployed in these settings without obtaining a chaotic perception of the overall sonic environment.…”

“…Providing conditions that not only "permit," but rather "promote" supportive sonic environments could be beneficial for the well-being and quality of life of persons with dementia in care facilities. For this to happen, it is also necessary to raise awareness on this matter among the staff members working in the care sector [10,11]. Because of their "implicit knowledge about the role of the auditory environment into the daily practice of working with persons with an intellectual disability" [9], they may play a crucial role in improving this environment through changes in modus operandi, a knowledge gained in the group of people with intellectual disability and also applicable to people with dementia.…”

Foregrounding Everyday Sounds in Dementia

“…Care practitioners suggest that, in order to leverage these positive effects, everyday sounds could be integrated into the daily activity pattern of the care facility [19]. But, care practitioners thought that involving people with dementia in the process was not feasible due to their limited cognitive abilities [1,10,19]. While practitioners can provide insight into how everyday sounds can be integrated into the routines of the care staff, this still leaves a gap in knowledge on how people with dementia personally experience and engage with sound.…”

Application of a Prediction Model for Ambient Noise Levels and Acoustical Capacity for Living Rooms in Nursing Homes Hosting Older People with Dementia

“…There is a growing research interest for the acoustics of long-term care facilities for older adults [1][2][3]-i.e., nursing homes [4]-as part of a broader discourse about the health and well-being of ageing populations, which is becoming a major societal concern [5]. Defining acoustic comfort in such environments is not an easy task when so many factors come into play, such as the particular groups of people involved (e.g., staff members, nursing home residents) and their perception, the activities taking place with their potentially conflicting sound sources, and building and room acoustics itself [6][7][8][9]. Characterizing the acoustic environments of nursing homes (NHs) with adequate indicators is crucial to inform design guidelines and eventually provide supportive living environments for their users [10][11][12][13].…”