Design of health and social care environments for people living with dementia

This research paper targets one of the most prominent design challenges in our society today: how the built environment can respond to the increasing numbers of people living with dementia, which is a progressive condition for which there is currently no cure. People live with dementia in their own home, care homes and other residential settings; they also frequently need access to community settings and services including health care infrastructures, day centres and local communities, many of which are not dementia-friendly. However, available evidence and appropriate stakeholder consultation can improve understanding of the needs of people living with dementia and how to better design the built environment to make them more dementia-friendly.