How can human factors be used in the design of dementia care environments?

The design of care environments for people with dementia is an area of research that is growing in popularity. Rising rates of dementia, coupled with an aging population, have meant that this is becoming an increasingly relevant and worthwhile topic for study as more accommodation is needed for people with dementia. Human Factors & Ergonomics (HFE) explores a problem by looking at the people within a system, their interactions with each other and the system and then re-designing the tasks, interfaces and system. It uses a systems analysis approach where humans will be defined as stakeholders within the system. This includes knowledge of physical and cognitive capabilities and limitations. This poster will summarise the results from a systematic literature review to explore how far current design features of dementia care environments can be mapped to HFE principles.