Top 10: design principles for dementia-friendly environments
Architect Kirsty Bennett, manager of environmental design education services at the NSW/ACT Dementia Training Study Centre (DTSC), said it was a myth that providers had to be simplistic when it came to designing dementia-friendly environments.
“Bland, boring, repetitive environments are actually really confusing for a person with dementia,” Ms Bennett told the Leading Aged Services Australia Tri-State conference last week.
Making an environment more dementia-friendly didn’t necessarily have to involve calling in the builders, and can be as simple as rearranging furniture, says expert.
Dementia-friendly design not only enhances the wellbeing of residents living with dementia but enables aged care providers to create sustainable environments.
Top 10: design principles for dementia-friendly environments