de Fiddes are excited to introduce you to our new blog page! This is a place where we plan to share our thoughts and reviews on design, architecture, products and the latest cutting edge research.
Our team will be posting regularly on de Fiddes projects, review new and exciting innovations, pass on to you the latest education, share and promote notes of inspiration and show you some fabulous photos from our interior fit outs. Keep up to date on latest products in the market, articles of interest and research findings from our Managing Director, Debbie de Fiddes.
Our blog will not only be an example of what keeps the team at de Fiddes committed to being at the forefront of innovation but a fun place to collect and seek ideas, advice for all things design and even just to share whatever is on our minds.
To be the first to receive our latest posts sign up to our newsletter inKIND here.
Enjoy!
This month we have been looking at stimulating activities and the spaces which facilitate them, and as a result combat boredom. We found this great digital book club for residents and those with Dementia. Hearthside Book Club. Read our review!
Read MoreStimulating activities come in all shapes and sizes. Virtual Reality is all the rage right now and it’s positives for aged care includes conversation starters, movement, memory and exploration. We have found a great headset with specialised content for aged care from an Australian company - NeuronsVR.
Read MoreWe have been a busy bunch with one of our services - Auditing and Assessments. A number of clients requested us to come to their facilities and audit what can be kept, fixed and replaced. This includes everything from furniture, finishes and window treatments, to artwork and wayfinding.
Read MoreThis month’s Deb Talk is on Stimulation. More precisely, how we can create environments that are stimulating, and from an interiors perspective how can the design of the environment facilitate engagement?
Read MoreWe are proud to announce that we have been shortlisted for the DIA (Designers Institute of Australia) Designers Australia Award for our work with VMCH St Bernadette’s! We are very proud and excited to be selected and look forward to the winners being announced in August.
Read MoreFor good or for bad, Social Media is here to stay. As the number of elderly using social platforms continues to rise so too does our interest in its use within aged care. How can organisations use social media and how can we use it to spread a positive message about ageing?
Listen to find out as Deb explores Social Media, Tiktok and its use in Aged Care in the latest Deb Talk.
How our seniors express themselves is as important as ever. Individuality and self-actualisation doesn’t stop with age, but is paramount to ongoing health and wellbeing. We love Tsuru to Kame, which is a fashion magazine for older people. Will future trends be focused more on seniors and an emphasis on their self-expression? We hope so!
With Covid and the flu going around it was only a matter of time before we had to rest and recover. With everything going on we thought we would make this edition of inKIND light-hearted and whimsical for the end of Financial Year. So we have gathered our favourite TikToks from people over 80 on a range of topics.
Read MoreThis month on Deb Talks, Deb sits down with Julian Goddard, Honorary professor at the School of Art at RMIT, Melbourne where he was Dean until 2019. He is the founder and chair of the Australian Centre for Concrete Art. Join them as they talk all things art, dementia, aged care and art therapy.
Read MoreArt therapy is one of the most valuable things you can do for your mental health and overall wellbeing. We found this online art and dementia tool kit by Artful. It contains 10 activities designed for people living with dementia. Read our review here.
Read MoreApril has been a time of contrast. We have had rest and have hit the ground running on some new projects. This month we are excited to wish Terri Preece enjoyable travels, as she ventures up the east coast on behalf of the Dementia Services Development Centre.
Deb and Kathryn also went to a Paint and Sip class, which they enjoyed immensely. In light of this we asked the de Fiddes team what and where was their favourite art experience. Read our reviews, recommendations and critiques here.
Whilst visiting a gallery is always a great day out, it is not always possible to do so. We love NGV’s virtual self-guided tours! This allows the watcher to ‘walk’ around the exhibitions and gallery halls. We are especially enjoying the Australian Impressionism Collection, She Oak and Sunlight. With over 250 works paired in thought provoking groups. Read our review and view the gallery!
Read MoreNo matter its shape, the family you were born with, or the friends who have become your family, the absence of them from your life can be incredibly hard.
We found a design that helps share photos with loved ones from across the world into their home.
That loneliness and isolation is one of the biggest challenges to a person’s social, mental and emotional health. Watch as DEB Talks ‘Visitors and Family for Wellbeing’ Our March Video that explores wellness and what we can do to encourage family and visitors to spend more time visiting their relatives in aged care facilities.
Read MoreNews from March! Our Award: Leading Experts in Aged Care Interior Design – Australia. Best Dementia Care Design Project (APAC), Debs Guest Lecture at Curtin University and a Passionate Partnership with Down to 10 Days!
Read MoreFamily – Comes in all shapes and sizes and no one family is the same. We all think ours is normal but as a famous quote by Les Dawson says “Families are like fudge, mostly sweet with a few nuts”. This month, continuing with our trends, we are taking a deeper dive into wellness. Specifically how that relates to Family.
Read MoreThis month a book caught our eye by Doreen Wendt-Weir -’Gardening in your Nineties’, (the sequel to ‘Sex in your Seventies.’) It’s a fascinating memoir about learning to garden for the first time after her partner leaves. Weaved into it are recipes, musings, heartbreak and love. Doreen wrote this whilst she was in isolation.
Read MoreSeeing that the outdoors are our February theme, we wanted to share some photos from this month from the de Fiddes team. We were lucky to all get out enjoyed the spectacular environment we are so blessed with. Have a look to see what Aged Care Interior Designers do in their downtime out and about in Perth!
Getting outdoors is one big win, but having activities to do outdoors is an absolute must! From nooks to sit and chat, to sensory delights such as lambs ears. What goes into your outdoor space should have as much thought to it as what goes inside.
Read MoreOutdoors have always been in, but never more so than now. More evidence is coming out regarding the importance of a connection to nature, for everyone, but especially those living in aged care.
We were interested to read a study from the Netherlands, that asked whether challenging behaviour in Nursing Home Residents (Including those with Dementia) changed because of the COVID-19 quarantine measures.
What was found is incredibly interesting and surprising!
