Supporting dementia sufferers
An Australian project is aiming to make a “real difference” to the quality and accessibility of built-environments for people with dementia. Alzheimer’s Australia WA has teamed up with the University of Wollongong to launch the study – Dementia Enabling Environments Project (DEEP) – which will translate research into “best-practice” design guidelines for architects.
An Australian project is aiming to make a “real difference” to the quality and accessibility of built-environments for people with dementia.
Alzheimer’s Australia WA has teamed up with the University of Wollongong to launch the study – Dementia Enabling Environments Project (DEEP) – which will translate research into “best-practice” design guidelines for architects and designers of aged care facilities.
“People with dementia face a number of issues that influence how they see, feel and respond to the built environment,” Alzheimer’s Australia WA manager research and consultancy, Jason Burton, says.
“This could be due to their short-term memory loss leading to disorientation in time and place, as well as their impaired perception causing difficulty in defining objects and space,” he adds.
The project, funded through a National Quality Dementia Care Initiative grant, involves a range of organisations and people, such as dementia specialist architects Brian Kidd and Kirsty Bennett, and dementia landscape specialist Tara Cochrane.
According to Mr Burton, a “well-designed physical environment” can play a major factor in assisting people living with dementia.
Described as a “bold” initiative, director of the NSW/ACT Dementia Training Study Centre at the University of Wollongong, Professor Richard Fleming, believes there are key environmental design principles “well-supported” by research.
“When managers and architects are aware of them, they make much better decisions about design. This project will put them into their hands and provide practical examples of their successful application,” Professor Fleming says.
The initiatives which are being developed as part of the project include environmental audit tools for care settings, course materials for university architectural students, workshops for professionals and families, a national library lending recourse and a virtual web-based centre for information and advice.
More than half of residents in permanent care in Australia have dementia, with about 87% requiring a higher level of care.
