The Iris Murdoch DSDC is a world renowned centre of excellence for the diagnosis and
care of persons with dementia.
The Iris Murdoch DSDC (Dementia Services Development Centre) is a world renowned centre
of excellence
for the diagnosis and care of persons with dementia. It has spearheaded the UK wide development of a
better understanding of the disease, and also pioneered many new designs and technologies to improve
the standard of care. When the centre decided to revamp their Virtual Care Home display rooms, they
enlisted the services of BPA Architecture in Edinburgh – a well respected practice that specialises in
the
design and development of better care homes.
Sarah Mullin, Lead Architect at BPA explained;
“When we were asked to redesign the
bedroom at the
training centre, we started from 1st principles and considered everything from the needs of the patient.
The
latest developments in beds, hoists and bathrooms were all readily available, but when it came to
providing
a heating solution, we were unsure how to proceed.
Clearly conventional LST radiators take up valuable
wall space and present a hygiene problem, but under floor is difficult to control quickly, and so
overheating
has been a problem in many care homes.
Similarly overhead radiant panels present there own challenges
such as requiring higher ceilings and creating hot spots directly under them. We were keen to find a new
solution.”
The Solution
By chance, Emeritus Proffessor Mary Marshall, a former Director at the DSDC and of Age
Concern
Scotland, had recently given a speech at the HealthCare Estates exhibition in Manchester, and had come
across the EasyClean LST radiant skirting heating system, that had just been launched at the show.
Proffessor Marshall immediately recognised the benefits of the system and sugested it to BPA.
The EasyClean LST combines the radiator heating into a convenient skirting board ‘trim’
that has a high
security fixing and seals to the walls and floors. As result, the heat is not only controllable and
responsive,
but is kept free of germs and infections with a simple wipe down when mopping the floors. Being a
skirting
board profile, it is naturally anti-ligature, and can also provide a more familiar ‘domestic feel’ for
those
suffering with early alzheimers.
Iris Murdoch Centre Business Manager Chris McAdam explains:
“Patient comfort is an important part of the care and service clients can expect to receive in a well designed and run facility. Hygiene and
safety are also necessary considerations, and the radiant skirting solution seems to answer all these issues.”