Insights from Jennifer Bray, Research Assistant, Association for Dementia Studies

School of Health and Wellbeing, University of Worcester.

People living with dementia can experience a range of symptoms that make it more difficult to understand the world around them. While we may not be able to reduce the symptoms themselves, we can try to reduce their impact by making changes to a person’s physical environment.

Here are some general points for you to consider if you are looking to make a space more inclusive and dementia friendly, whether it’s indoors, outdoors, at home, or in a care setting.

While it’s important to be mindful of safety, your overall aim should be to promote independence and help people living with dementia maintain their abilities by supporting them to understand and navigate spaces. It’s important to remember though that everyone is different, so what works for one person may not work for someone else.

• Start with what you know – What problems do you see around you on a daily basis? Are there things that the person/people with dementia seem to struggle with? If you’re not sure, involve other staff or family members to see what they’ve noticed.
• Take a step back – When you spend a lot of time in a space, you become used to it and may overlook features that aren’t ideal for someone living with dementia. It’s important to step back and look at the environment with a fresh, critical eye so you can see it from a different perspective. Again, involving other people in this process can be extremely helpful.
• Don’t be distracted by the latest trends – You may come across different dementia-friendly products and feel tempted to use them simply because they seem popular, but are they right for your space? Think carefully about why you’re making a change and consider the impact it may have.
• Consider the different senses – It’s easy to focus on what people can see, but you also need to be aware of what people hear, smell, and touch. Gardening is great for introducing different textures, smells, sounds, and colour to enhance the physical and mental wellbeing of people living with dementia.
• Use the environment to support activity levels – You may want to take a different approach in spaces used for different purposes. For example, warm colours and softer lighting can make a room feel more relaxing, so they may be better suited to bedrooms where you want to promote sleep. Conversely, brighter colours and stronger lighting can work well in areas where you want to encourage someone to be more alert and active.
• Simple things can make a big difference – It’s worth noting that making changes to an environment is not always about spending lots of money on a refurbishment or decorating; there are lots of things you can do on a low budget that may still be beneficial. A few examples are:
  • Creating more space by moving a coffee table and removing trip hazards like watering cans or tools. This will improve a person’s ability to navigate through a room or outdoor space.
  • Some people may find that patterns are confusing or make it more difficult to distinguish items from their surroundings. Placing a plain throw over a patterned sofa is one way to reduce visual overload.
  • Removing a black mat from a doorway may reduce anxiety and encourage a person living with dementia to walk through, especially if they had previously perceived it as a ‘hole’ in the floor.
  • Paint tester pots could be used to paint handrails a contrasting colour so that they are more visible against a white wall.
  • Hanging a number or framed picture on a bedroom door can help people to distinguish their own bedroom from others along a corridor.
  • Using a coloured tablecloth or coloured plate can make food more visible and encourage eating.

• Changes may take time to have an effect – People may be resistant to change or take time to adjust, so don’t expect instant results. Allow plenty of time for changes to settle in, unless there are immediate safety issues to address.
• Don’t be afraid to try new things - If you find something doesn’t work, learn from it and think about what else you could do instead.

If you require more guidance and ideas for adapting your environment, there are several self-assessment tools out there for you to use, many of which are available here.