| CODE | GDM5117 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Dementia Friendly Environments and Design | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Gerontology and Dementia Studies | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Older persons living with dementia, informal and formal carers, as well as society at large, must understand that good design for the older person living with dementia, entails respecting their dignity, autonomy, independence, equality of opportunity, non-discrimination and person-centred approaches. Older persons living with dementia, experience their worlds as confusing, disorienting, disabling and dangerous. The physical and social environments of older persons living with dementia becomes more and more difficult with changes in cognitive capability. Dementia changes the ways older persons interpret what they see, hear, taste, feel and smell. And therefore, it is of essence that there is the right knowledge about how the older persons living with dementia experience their worlds when attempting to create a dementia-friendly environment. It involves looking at the world through the eyes of the older persons living with dementia, or ‘looking out from the inside’. It is a known fact, that a building and an environment can significantly impact the older persons living with dementia. It can support them or it can hasten their deterioration, as it is directly associated with independence or forced dependency, and it can support social connectedness or hinder it. To be dementia-friendly, care homes, acute, rehabilitative and respite facilities require to have a home-like environment, as the language of ‘home’ is very different from the language of ‘healthcare’. A home-like environment adds continuity and familiarity to everyday life, encourages continued family involvement, strengthening family and friendship ties. This study-unit, will enable students to appreciate evidence-based principles that look at maximising the potential and wellbeing for the older persons living with dementia. These approaches, of, (a) personal control and decision making, (b) individualised care, (c) meaningful relationships, (d) smaller scale living arrangements, (e) greater environmental texture, (f) personalisation of care and (g) discrete medical support, will serve as the backdrop for dementia friendly environments and physical design. Study-Unit Aims: A well-designed home or care environment will enable the older persons living with dementia, to make the best of their everyday lives, through maintaining their abilities, increase their independence and provide meaningful engagement. The older persons’ surroundings should ensure provision of the essential prompts for way finding, and optimal accessibility that reduces risks, that is, physical designs that maximise enablement and wellbeing of the older person living with dementia. This study-unit aims to, - Provide students with the opportunity to explore principles that optimise the environments for the older persons with dementia. - Consider the holistic wellbeing of the older person living with dementia, community and environment. - Ensure that students learn of the importance of authentically co-designing with the older persons living with dementia. - Inform students of the importance of enabling the older person living with dementia to choose to remain within their own communities and with their families. - Stress on the importance of intergenerational interactions. - Enable students to focus on the strengths and abilities of older persons living with dementia whilst compensating for their functional changes. - Empower students on the importance of highlighting the freedom of older persons living with dementia to make their own choices. - Afford students on the importance of assisting the older persons living with dementia to maintain their cultures. - Zoom in on the importance that the above are informed by evidence and research. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - define appropriate vision for a dignified way of life for the older persons living with dementia. - design an environment that enables the older persons living with dementia to enjoy contact and interaction with nature. - design a built environment that captures all the familiar components of the older persons living with dementia, whilst affording the older persons, the opportunity to choose to be alone or with others. - design an environment that provides for easy access and connection to and from local communities, health and care environments, families and friends. Through this study-unit, the students will be provided with a technical framework on dementia friendly environments that, - promote independence and support wellbeing, - has familiar surroundings, - allows easy access and way finding, - supports meaningful tasks, - supports participation in daily activities, and - promotes safety, security and comfort. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - establish how the surrounding environment influences the older person's living with dementia well-being. - establish the characteristics that an environment designed from the person-centred care model must meet so that it becomes a factor that contributes to improving the older person's quality of life. - recognise how the relationship between older persons and the space that surrounds them develops. - recognise ways of optimising stimulation, promoting movement, engagement and meaningfulness for the older person living with dementia. - assess the principles of an adequate environmental design based on this relationship. - recognise the necessary safety measures, designed in a way as to be as unobtrusive as possible. - design an environment that reflects the human scale, that is, the fundamental relationship between the persons and their environment. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - Pozo Menéndez, E. & Higueras García, E. (2022). Urban Design and Planning for Age-Friendly Environments Across Europe: Developing Healthy and Therapeutic Living Spaces for Local Contexts. (Future City Ser). (Available in Library) - Joy, M. (2020). The Right to an Age-Friendly City (Vol. 14). Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. (Available in Library) Supplementary Readings: - Block, S. M. (2008). The story of forgetting. New York, NY: Random House. - Bowes, A., & Dawson, A. (2019). Designing environments for people with dementia: A systematic literature review. Bingley: Emerald. - Brakley, J. (2017). Creating moments of joy along the Alzheimer’s journey (5th ed.). West Lafeyette, IN: Purdue University Press. - Feddersen, E. & Lüdtke, I. (2014). Lost in Space. Basel/Berlin/Boston: Walter de Gruyter GmbH. - Gitlin, L. N., & Hodgson, N. A. (2018). Better living with dementia: Implications for individuals, families, communities, and societies. London: Elsevier Academic Press. - Moulaert, T. & Garon, S. (2016). Age-Friendly Cities and Communities in International Comparison (Vol. 14, International Perspectives on Aging). Cham: Springer International Publishing AG. - Shahrestani, S. (2017). Internet of Things and Smart Environments. Cham: Springer International Publishing AG. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Independent Study and Online Learning | |||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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