Proyectar espacios para habitantes con alzhéimer, una visión desde la arquitectura

Abstract

Recibido: 30 de noviembre de 2016 / Aceptado: 4 de febrero de 2017 Resumen. Cuando el alzhéimer entra en un hogar, una serie de cambios se desencadenan en la vida diaria de sus moradores, su forma de habitar cambia inevitablemente. Ante algunos comportamientos de usuarios con problemas de memoria cabe preguntarse si están condicionados por su estado o por su entorno; si es esto último, ¿cómo proyectar para la ausencia de memoria? La forma de abordar este problema desde la arquitectura requiere una nueva perspectiva. Supone ver a la persona no como un enfermo con un conjunto de síntomas sino como un habitante que vive en un entorno físico que puede ser proyectado o modificado para adecuarlo a sus peculiares y cambiantes necesidades. El propósito del artículo es exponer cómo la arquitectura, como arte y como técnica, aborda este problema, aportando una metodología de investigación que busca conocer las demandas concretas de estos habitantes en su experiencia diaria del espacio doméstico, desde la seguridad, la accesibilidad y la personalización como estimulación sensorial y estabilizadora emocional; generando además un conocimiento que permita desarrollar mecanismos y elementos de composición necesarios para proyectar, construir y humanizar un entorno que complete carencias del enfermo, se adapte a la evolución de la dolencia y mejore su calidad de vida. Palabras clave: Arquitectura; proyecto arquitectónico; memoria; alzhéimer; demencia.[en] Designing tailored spaces for Alzheimer's patients, an architectural perspective Abstract. When Alzheimers afflicts a person it also has a major impact on the home. This inevitably means that significant changes must be made. As architects, we have pondered how we can better design living spaces for those affected by various degrees of memory impairment. How to design for the absence of memory? The approach to this challenge, from an architectural standpoint, needs a new perspective that requires focusing on the specific necessities of an inhabitant, as opposed to the effects of the disease itself. We are looking more at the specific implications on the living environments and how they could be designed or modified to adapt to the subjects constantly changing conditions. The purpose of this article is to show how architecture, from its duality as an art/technical discipline, is tackling this problem developing research methodology which involves looking at the concrete needs of the users in their daily domestic space, analyzing its security, accessibility and the customization of space as a sensory stimulus and emotional stabilizer. Additionally, we seek to generate a body of knowledge in order to develop composition elements and mechanisms to design, build and humanize the environment to fulfill their necessities, adapting it to the evolution of the disease and improving quality of life.

Towards a Healthy Architecture: A New Paradigm in the Design and Construction of Buildings

“…However, the findings applied to respond to these physical, mental, and emotional needs provide solutions that, because of their comfort, effectiveness, and usefulness, can be extrapolated to the rest of the population and society. These, therefore, point to a path to follow for the implementation of healthier cities and architecture for the benefit of all [33]. These empirical experiences and the results that are extracted from them are those that will be used to demonstrate the proposed hypothesis and draw a series of useful conclusions in understanding what healthy architecture means today.…”

“…As with tuberculosis at the beginning of the 20th century, architecture is also used to alleviate the symptoms of an as-yet incurable disease. Based on American programmes intended for patients with cognitive deficits, some residences for people Alzheimer's disease began to incorporate places for social interactions with the family other people to arouse recollections of home and stimulate the residents' memories first institution built according to these criteria was the Corinne Dolan Alzheimer C in Cleveland, Ohio, designed by Taliesin Associated Architects in 1985 [40].…”

Active and Assisted Living, a Practice for the Ageing Population and People with Cognitive Disabilities: An Architectural Perspective

“…Architecture, both as an art and a technique, builds the daily scene of the habitat and gives meaning to the places and spaces people inhabit. Through the meaning that architecture gives to spaces and environments, human beings can relate to the values that transcend them as individuals and connect them with their vital, social, and cultural realities [36].…”

Solar Radiation in Architectural Projects as a Key Design Factor for the Well-Being of Persons with Alzheimer’s Disease

“…The acquisition of sunlight is possibly one of the most influential factors in the design project; it has a direct impact on the patient [2]. The design control of solar radiation sources and their intensity is required at all stages, to achieve the adequate regulation of the daily activities of users with cognitive impairments, such as Alzheimer's disease outpatients [3][4][5].…”