Dementia friendly neighbourhoods : which elements in the village of San Lawrenz in Gozo make it dementia inclusive?

Abstract

Within the context of dementia, design generally focuses on the internal environment and layouts of dementia care homes and facilities; however, most people with dementia live in their own homes. Research has found that moving people with dementia to an unfamiliar environment, such as care homes, can have debilitating effects on their levels of confusion and disorientation. Therefore, at a time when their lives are changing irreversibly, it is generally beneficial for people with dementia to remain in the familiar surroundings of their own homes and local neighbourhoods until residential care is absolutely necessary. It is for this reason that this study explores how the design of the outdoor environment, more specifically that of the village of San Lawrenz in Gozo, affects the ability of people living with dementia to carry out activities of daily living (ADL). It was found that by implementing a level of redesign to features that are already present, one would be prolonging the length of time that elderly and people living with dementia stay in the community, sometimes even preventing permanent residency in any care facility. This study also reveals that even a minor design feature in a neighbourhood can have a major impact on the lives of people living with dementia and their ability to carry out daily activities. Interviews were first carried out with both people living with dementia (PLWD) and their carers to get a better understanding on what are the difficulties encountered daily in their neighbourhood. Afterwards a walkabout was carried out in order to extract the mentioned features in the built fabric of the village. Results showed that various architectural features have a direct impact on both PLWD and their carers’ lives and should therefore be subject to certain changes as appropriate in order to keep PLWD longer in the community. It is hoped that these findings could help designers better understand how to ensure that such individuals feel comfortable when navigating their local neighbourhoods.