水野 祐輔

ABSTRACT This study focuses on restroom signs displayed in group homes for the elderly with dementia and clarifies the specifications necessary to design restroom signs that enable the elderly with dementia to independently locate restrooms by recognizing the signs. Restroom signs are commonly displayed in many group homes in Japan. The needs of staff regarding restroom signs include supporting the elderly with dementia in identifying restroom locations and promoting their independent use. When planning restroom signs for the elderly with dementia, it is essential to include text‐based signs that explicitly indicate the restroom, as relying solely on pictograms may result in insufficient information. Additionally, the appropriate font size for textual displays ranges from 50 to 90 mm. Regarding placement, restroom signs should be displayed on the restroom door at a height of approximately 1300–1400 mm from the floor. However, in some group homes, restroom doors are operated in an open position, making the door surface unavailable as a display area. In such cases, it is necessary to consider displaying the signs on the surrounding wall surfaces.

ABSTRACT This study focused on the guiding effect of residents' room signs and restroom signs displayed in group homes for elderly individuals with dementia. The results indicated that wandering behavior was primarily observed in residents with moderate dementia. An analysis of their behavior showed that while they had a general sense of the location and direction of their intended destination and could correctly reach the area around it, they were unable to identify the precise location in the final process of selecting the correct door. In contrast, when text‐based signs displaying residents' names or “restroom” were used, these served as cues to help identify the precise location, thereby preventing wandering behavior.

Abstract This study provides an understanding of the needs for signs identifying rooms shown in group homes for the elderly with dementia (residents' room signs) and reveals the elements for planning. The purpose of staff displaying residents' room signs is to support residents with dementia returning to their own rooms by themselves. It is appropriate for the display contents shown on the residents' room signs to be displayed with the name of the resident approximately 30 to 50 mm. The appropriate display location is near the door handle at a height of approximately 1200 to 1400 mm.