Colour coded gates in Yate park to help people with dementia
Entrance gates at a park in Yate have been painted different colours to help those living with dementia.
There are several different routes in and out of Kingsgate Park in the town. The change will make the entrance and exit points more memorable and easy to navigate.
It is part of Yate Town Council’s ‘Yate Aging Better’ initiative. The idea came from Yate Town councillor Sandra Emms, who works with people who have dementia.
Cllr Emms said: "Even at the early stages people could become muddled at times. It helps them to know where they are. If they came in through the red gate they would leave through the red gate.
"People are happy to see that we are doing things that are really helping people that live with dementia and people with cognitive impairment and older people."
As well as being a helpful visual aid, the painted gates are an excellent way of identifying the various entrances for all users of the parks.
In the South West there are more than 92,000 people affected by dementia. With figures expected to rise, the Alzheimer's society would like to see more towns like Yate doing the same.
Lorna Robertson, from Alzheimer's Society South West said: "The biggest risk to getting dementia is age. So it is really important that we build communities that are dementia friendly so that people with dementia can live and be supported.
"Also as we come out of lockdown it is really important that people have to confidence to go back out in their community again, so this initiative is just a lovely way of encouraging people to do that."
READ MORE: