DSDC helps transform living spaces for Sir Jackie Stewart’s wife Lady Helen
A dementia design expert at the University of Stirling has helped transform the living spaces of Lady Helen Stewart, wife of former racing champion Sir Jackie Stewart, as her dementia progresses.
Stirling academic and architect Professor Lesley Palmer has been working with Fiona Pia Architectsto design a dementia-friendly apartment in Switzerland which uses space, lighting and accessibility to help Lady Stewart maintain her independence and remain at home as her dementia progresses.
Research has shown that dementia design can improve quality of life for people living with a dementia and their care partners.
The University of Stirling, which is home to the Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC), is a forerunner in healthy ageing research. DSDC provides consultancy services and toolkits for residential and commercial spaces to become dementia-friendly.
Three-time F1 champion Sir Jackie and his wife have been receiving support from DSDC for more than a decade, including design advice across their properties. Lady Helen was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia in 2012 and can no longer walk. The couple celebrate their 64th wedding anniversary today, Friday 28 August.
As a result of the re-design, the Stewarts’ apartment on Lake Geneva, or Lac Léman, has been awarded a Gold Dementia Design Audit Accreditation from DSDC, making it the first apartment in mainland Europe to receive the prestigious Gold award.
Dementia-friendly features in the renovated apartment include: low-level counters to allow Lady Helen to interact and participate in cooking and kitchen activities; a see-through and easily accessible fridge; visible open cabinetry and front-facing clothing in the bedroom; materials that promote calmness and help spatial orientation; integrated lighting of curated personal items; subtly integrated and custom-made medical, cleaning and disinfection areas; and private medical areas for Lady Helen and her care providers.
Lesley Palmer, Professor of Ageing and Dementia at the University of Stirling, worked closely with Lausanne-based architect Fiona Pia, advising on the design and interiors of the apartment.
Professor Palmer said: “It has been a privilege to work with Sir Jackie Stewart’s family for over a decade. While their circumstances may differ from many, their journey with dementia — and the adaptations it requires at home — is something many families will recognise.
“As our research at the University of Stirling has demonstrated, making even small changes to a person’s environment can go a very long way towards helping people with dementia enjoy quality of life, dignity, and independence.
“In the Stewart family apartment, for example, materials such as wood promote warmth and calmness, while high-contrast colours and furnishings help delineate spaces and promote better orientation. Bigger structural changes included making the inside-to-outside transition level, and creating discrete clinical spaces which will support end-of-life care, separate from the living area."
The Stewart Family
Sir Jackie, who received an honorary degree from the University of Stirling in 2001, said: “Helen and I celebrate our 64th wedding anniversary this month and some of you may know that during my motor racing career, Helen was my timekeeper and my lap charter and she was the best. It is incredibly important to me, and our two sons, that we now give her the best support possible, as she lives with this cruel disease.
“We are therefore very grateful for the work undertaken by the University of Stirling and Fiona Pia Architects, which will allow Helen to live as comfortably as possible.”
The project was underpinned by DSDC’s Environments for Ageing and Dementia Design Assessment Tool (EADDAT), which is an evidence-based toolkit designed specifically to support the creation of environments – not just residential settings but places of work, public buildings, outdoor spaces and public transport – to be supportive of people living with a dementia, and an ageing population.
Notes to readers:
The Stewart Family have long been advocates for improving dementia research, launching Race Against Dementia charity, which strives to find a breakthrough cure for dementia. Their vision is to win the race against dementia by accelerating global research towards a breakthrough cure with the utmost urgency. Race Against Dementia coalesce the brightest minds from medicine, motorsport and engineering to make that happen.
Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC), is an internationally recognised centre dedicated to improving the lives of people with a dementia, at the University of Stirling. DSDC draws on research and practice, from across the world, to provide comprehensive, up-to-date resources on dementia, both personally and professionally. The Dementia Fund provides vital resources for our researchers to improve the lives of those living with a dementia, along with their families and carers. Through this fund, our team of professionals is working toward breakthroughs that bring comfort and dignity to those affected by a dementia, while helping carers and loved ones navigate the challenges they face.
