Multi-Sensory Wayfinding: Beyond Visual Cues
Effective wayfinding engages all the senses, not just sight. This guide explores how to incorporate smell, sound, touch, and temperature cues into your wayfinding strategy, creating a multi-sensory navigation system that supports residents even as visual processing declines.
Visual signage is the cornerstone of most wayfinding systems, but it is not the only tool available. People navigate the world using all their senses: they smell food cooking and know the kitchen is nearby, they hear water running and find the bathroom, they feel a change in temperature and know they are near a window or door. For residents with dementia, whose visual processing may be impaired, these non-visual cues become increasingly important. Research from the DSDC demonstrates that multi-sensory wayfinding systems, those that combine visual, olfactory, auditory, and tactile cues, are significantly more effective than visual-only systems, particularly for residents with moderate to advanced dementia.
Olfactory Wayfinding: The Power of Smell#
Smell is one of the most powerful memory triggers and one of the last senses to be significantly affected by dementia. The aroma of baking bread near the dining room, lavender near the quiet lounge, coffee near the cafe area, or fresh-cut grass near the garden entrance creates distinctive olfactory landmarks that residents associate with specific destinations. These associations form naturally through daily experience and require no learning or instruction. The DSDC recommends incorporating olfactory cues as a standard element of wayfinding design, noting that they are particularly effective for residents who can no longer read or interpret visual signs.
Multi-sensory wayfinding cues for care homes:
- Olfactory: cooking aromas near dining rooms, lavender sachets near bedrooms, fresh flowers near lounges, herb planters along garden paths
- Auditory: a ticking clock at a corridor junction, gentle background music in the lounge, a water feature near the garden entrance
- Tactile: textured wall panels at decision points, different handrail materials for different zones, raised 3D signs for touch identification
- Thermal: a gentle warmth near the lounge fireplace, cool air near the garden door, warmer lighting in communal areas
- Proprioceptive: floor surface changes at zone transitions, gentle ramps that signal a change of area
Auditory Cues and Soundscapes#
Sound provides wayfinding information even when visual attention is directed elsewhere. A ticking clock at a corridor junction becomes a recognisable auditory landmark. The sound of crockery and conversation from the dining room signals mealtime approaching. Gentle, familiar music playing in the lounge draws residents towards social spaces. The key principle is consistency: the same sounds should be associated with the same locations every day. Avoid sudden, unexpected sounds that can startle and disorient residents. Background noise levels should be controlled to ensure that intentional auditory cues are distinguishable from ambient noise.
Pro Tip
Install a small water feature or fountain near the garden entrance. The gentle sound of running water is universally calming and acts as a consistent auditory beacon that helps residents locate the garden path. It also provides a pleasant sensory experience that encourages outdoor access.
Tactile Navigation#
Touch is an underutilised wayfinding sense in most care homes. Handrails that change material or texture at zone boundaries (from wood to metal, from smooth to textured) provide a continuous tactile cue that complements visual colour changes. Textured wall panels at corridor junctions give residents something to touch and recognise as a specific location. Our 3D-printed signs provide inherent tactile information, with raised imagery and text that can be read by touch as well as sight. For residents with significant visual impairment, these tactile cues may become the primary means of sign identification.
Recommended Products
Our signs are manufactured with textured 3D print on solid white acrylic, providing inherent tactile wayfinding properties. The raised imagery and lettering can be identified by touch, making them effective for residents with visual impairment as well as those with dementia. Optional Braille adds another tactile layer for residents who can read it.
Evidence base
A 2019 study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease found that care homes using multi-sensory wayfinding approaches reported 35 percent fewer incidents of resident disorientation compared to those using visual-only signage systems. The effect was strongest for residents with moderate to advanced dementia, precisely the population for whom visual signage alone is least effective.
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