Retirement and nursing homes short intervals. The reason for this can be that they suddenly feel acute anxiety and need to be comforted personally. This does not justify the temporary “deactivation of emergency call systems”. Measures recommended for improving accessibility for persons with disabilities were implemented in some facilities. These included the visually contrasting design of walls, floors, skirting boards, and handles or putting coloured marking and fall protection devices at the top of stairs. On recommendation, additional handrails were mounted, foot mats arranged flush or glass surfaces made more recognisable as such. Information was made more legible and understandable in some facilities, because being able to inform oneself and communicate about the shared environment is a basic need. The interior design between bed and toilet was improved by direct visual connections making it easier for residents to go there on their own. In a nursing home in Upper Austria, mirror tiles were laid and new lamps mounted in the rooms for wheelchair users in order to compensate for the insufficient lighting conditions. Recommendations for improved orientation in the use of rooms were acted on in a Tyrolean facility for example. These included having the “handcraft group” in the nursing home produce signs with simple graphic images, symbols or photos that indicate what the room is used for. The interior space of the rooms were given a dementia-sensitive design to support the residents’ perception of time. Large clocks and calendars as well as decoration around a certain theme help the residents recognise the seasons or special days or public holidays. Accessibility for persons with disabilities and structural measures 41