New funding announced for creating dementia care environments

Up to 50 million pounds will be made available to NHS trusts, local authorities and social care providers to create tailored care environments for dementia patients.

The new government initiative will see healthcare providers creating specially designed rooms and spaces containing tailored sensory stimuli, large print photos of familiar scenes, controllable mood lighting and calming colours.

Improvements will follow design principles laid out by The King's Fund that have been shown to help dementia patients overcome common problems associated with the condition, including confusion, wandering and anxiety.

Projects are due to commence in April 2013 and will help reduce the stress associated with cluttered ward layouts and poor signage in hospitals.

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "Responding with dignity and compassion to dementia is the only sensible reaction to the urgent challenges we face as our population ages."

Earlier this month, the government outlined its commitment to making the UK a world leader in dementia research, with the help of global collaborators.