Forbo Flooring Systems has partnered with The University of Stirling’s Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) to review over 1,000 floor finishes, assessing their suitability for use in dementia-friendly environments, and can now offer a selection of independently accredited products ‘ideal for dementia-supportive settings’.
Forbo said: “Sensory, mobility, or cognitive impairments can have a serious impact on older people and those with dementia. By understanding the impact, designers, specifiers, and carers, can create interiors that help people feel safer and more confident in their surroundings.”
Recognising the need to identify products that can help achieve this aim, DSDC developed an accreditation scheme which seeks to clarify existing information and promote use of products that have gone through the accreditation process. The Centre also looks to support technical staff through training, ‘to give them the knowledge they need to advise specifiers and clients in using their products’.
Following Forbo’s work with the DSDC over the past year, the company says specifiers and designers can now choose from over 800 Forbo products accredited across the Class 1a, 1b, and 2 rating system – based on the tonal contrast and pattern of products.