Dementia - environment and assistive technology

You will find resources here that higlight the importance of well designed living spaces and how the environment and also technology can be used to help people with dementia and enable them to be as independent as possible.

In other sections of the website you can also:

familiarise yourself with the UK national strategies and standards
develop your skills and knowledge with resources designed for learning
find details of key agencies and networks.

The resources are arranged under the following headings:

resources and tools
stories and good practice examples
standards.

These resources were last accessed on 17 January 2013. Some of them are in PDF format - see how to access PDF files.

Resources and tools

AT Dementia
This website brings together information about assistive technology that has the potential to support the independence and leisure opportunities of people with dementia. You can search their database of products and find advice on how to obtain assistive technologies and telecare.

Alzheimer’s Society: Living with dementia - Remaining independent
This section of the Alzheimer’s Society website looks at adaptations and equipment, including assistive technology which can help a person with dementia to remain safely independent for longer and help others to give the support required.

Dementia Services Development Centre, University of Stirling: Design and Technology Suite
The Suite at the Iris Murdoch Building showcases practical design solutions for people with dementia and their carers. In addition there is now a virtual care home which provides virtual examples of dementia friendly rooms in which the significance of particular features are described. There is also a section on the importance of individual aspects of design including lighting, orientation and signage and getting outside - see Virtual Care Home.

International Dementia Design Network
The International Dementia Design Network aims to be a forum for collaboration and sharing of best practice, for research, education and innovation that make a positive difference to living with dementia. It developed from the Dementia Design conference held at Salford University in September 2012, where the benefit of bringing together not just different disciplines but different sectors to learn from each other and identify areas for future development was evident. The network is hosted by a multi-disciplinary team at the University of Salford; nurses, architects, designers, social workers, psychologists, artists, computer scientists and business specialists.

King's Fund: Enhancing the Healing Environment (EHE): Environments of care for people with dementia
This is one of the programmes commissioned by the Department of Health to improve the patient experience through enhancing care environments. The programme involved 23 teams from acute and mental health NHS trusts working on a range of projects across the dementia care pathway and seeking to make acute general hospital environments less alienating for people with cognitive problems. Using the expertise and data from the programme the King's Fund has developed resources that can be used in the hospital setting to help staff and those with dementia and their carers identify where improvement in the physical environment is needed.

Enhancing the Healing Environment: Find out about the EHE projects This page includes details of the current EHE projects and a directory of completed projects.
EHE dementia tool and design principles: developing supportive design for people with dementia settings. EHE Assessment Tool and the overarching design principles developed from the experiences of the 23 trusts participating in the programme - see also the publication below.
Developing supportive design for people with dementia: The King’s Fund’s Enhancing the Healing Environment Programme 2009-2012. This report marks the completion of 26 schemes in 23 NHS acute, community and mental health hospitals in England to improve the environment of care for people with dementia. As well as case studies with before and after photographs from participating sites, the report includes information about the development and evaluation of the EHE assessment tool; overarching design principles for creating a more supportive environment for people with dementia; and a project directory detailing the artists and designers involved in each scheme along with costs involved.

Nursing Standard article
The full text of the article can be accessed via RCN e-journals.

Mason M (2011) Environmental health. Nursing Standard 26(13) pp.23-25. This article looks at advancing the health of dementia patients by improving their physical environment.

RCN e-library: relevant articles - the care environment
This is a list of selected articles from a search made in British Nursing Index on the care environment for people with dementia with a particular focus on the hospital environment. There is also information on how you can do the search yourself for a more comprehensive listing.

SCIE Dementia Gateway: The environment
This section of the Dementia Gateway which brings together tools, activities and practical tips includes areas on helpful equipment and features for different rooms of the house and garden, reducing noise levels, and on creating a relaxing environment. There is also information about how assistive technology can be used in various ways to help maintain a person’s independence and make best use of their abilities.

SCIE: Using ICT in activities for people with dementia
This guide supports computer activities for people with dementia. It helps care managers and their staff to use information and communication technology (ICT) to improve quality of life for their clients. The plain-language guide means that professionals who use it do not need to be technically-minded. There are nine useful sections on the web-based tool, ranging from getting the right kit through to using ICT in reminiscence and life story activities

Stories and good practice examples

Practitioners have shared improvements they have made in the delivery of dementia care and services describing what changes occurred as a result of their initiatives and what they learned from the experience. The stories have been arranged according to the five key ingredients in the Commitment to the care of people with dementia in general hospitals. To read these improvement stories see Best practice examples.

Department of Health (2011) Living well with dementia: a National Dementia Strategy - good practice compendium
This good practice compendium has been compiled from across the regions to support local delivery of the national dementia strategy. It brings together practice examples on a wide range of dementia care.

SCIE Dementia Gateway: Case studies
The case studies help to demonstrate different aspects of improving the environment.

SCIE Dementia Gateway: Dementia Good Practice Exchange
SCIE is collecting together examples of good practice in dementia care. Relevant examples are:

Wiltshire Dementia Telecare Service
This good practice example describes the establishment of a telecare service to meet the needs of adults who have dementia or memory loss. It was offered as part of a care package and designed to reduce re-admissions to hospital and enable users to stay at home longer.
Person-centred services for older people with dementia and mental health issues
This example describes how moving to a new purpose-built residential care home gave the opportunity to develop person-centred approaches. The project involved designing and equipping a new facility and relocating existing residents en masse to the new facility adopting a consultative approach.
Personalisation of residents’ rooms
This example describes a project which involved residents deciding the decoration scheme for their rooms and door knockers for all residents’ rooms have helped to remind staff about privacy and dignity for residents.