Queen Silvia of Sweden joins forces with Ikea to create prefab houses for dementia patients complete with easy layouts and splash-proof showers – and they could soon arrive in the UK
- Queen Silvia of Sweden joined with Ikea to design dementia-friendly homes
- Design tweaks include no mirrors in bathrooms and old-fashioned knobs
- Construction company is reportedly planning to bring smart designs to the UK
Queen Silvia of Sweden has joined with Ikea to design dementia-friendly homes that could soon be popping up in the UK.
The Swedish royal, 76, teamed up with the furniture giant to create prefab flats that take into account the needs of dementia patients, The Times reported.
Silvia, whose mother Alice Sommerlath suffered from dementia before her death in 1997, used her own personal experience to input easy design additions, such as 4ft high shower screens to help keep carers dry while washing.
Queen Silvia of Sweden has joined with Ikea to design dementia-friendly homes that could soon be popping up in the UK. Pictured, a computer generated image of the living room
Queen Silvia and Ikea boss Ingvar Kamprad teamed up after the Ikea billionaire made a large donation to the Queen’s dementia charity, with the pair deciding to use the money to design the affordable and practical housing. Seen: a computer generated image of a bedroom
Based on the Queens experience caring for her mother, the Swedish royal insisted the shower screens to have a fixed height of 1.2m to allow for carers wash the patient without being splashed
Queen Silvia lost her mother to Alzeimer’s disease in the early 90’s and later started a dementia charity, Silviahemmet in 1996
The bathrooms are also located directly off the bedroom to help reduce any confusion if the resident wakes in the middle of the night.
The idea is that the flats can be built in a line in a factory – complete with furnishings and Ikea kitchen suites – and dropped into place.
There are currently six model apartments in Stockholm but the concept is intended to spread across Scandinavia.
It could then move into the UK over the next few years.
The housing project, dubbed SilviaBo, builds on existing an existing partnership between Ikea and Swedish construction company, Skanska.
Their joint venture, BoKlok, has already built around 12,000 prefab affordable flats aimed at young families in Sweden, Norway and Finland.
The new designs are based on existing modular BoKlock designs, with with some design tweaks including removing mirrors from bathrooms and fitting kitchen appliances with old-fashioned knobs, rather than digital controls
The apartments will be factory built and then dropped directly onto the building site and come complete will a fully functioning kitchen and include all furnishings, with an estimated starting price of £1500
The new designs are based on the existing modular BoKlock designs, with with some design tweaks including removing mirrors from bathrooms and fitting kitchen appliances with old-fashioned knobs, rather than digital controls.
The developments also emphasize spending time outdoors, and will include ‘therapeutic’ gardens and clubhouses for socializing – making it easier for friends and family to visit.
The new designs cater to the needs of elderly people with dementia, but still allows them to live in their own home.