Creating a homely and empowering environment

Research has shown that a poorly designed environment can have a profound effect on the health of people with dementia and has been found to lead to increased fall rates, lower sleep quality and higher stress levels. It is also understood that 70-90 per cent of people who live in care homes have dementia. Therefore, it is important to consider the benefits of designing an environment well for people who live with the condition. 

A well designed environment can help reduce falls by up to 60 per cent and leads to a greater degree of independence, for example, at mealtimes. An environment that supports and empowers a person who has dementia can also reduce the need for antipsychotic medication. 

Considering the design of the environment not only benefits the individual from a physical and medical perspective, but also has psychosocial benefits. For example, a poorly designed environment is likely to prevent someone with dementia from being able to carry out tasks independently, which means they will require increased intervention from staff. This in turn has been found to negatively affect confidence and selfesteem and have social implications. However, an environment that has been designed to enable people with dementia to carry out personal tasks independently increases self-esteem, which encourages relationships and social interaction.