This unique book provides comprehensive, readable information, supported by research, on all aspects of outside spaces for people with dementia. It includes material on human rights issues, cultural differences, microclimate, urban spaces and activities, as well as practical guidance on design and materials. There are numerous case studies from different countries and settings.

Being outside adds to everyone¿s quality of life but too often this simple joy of living is beyond the reach of older people and people with dementia. It¿s time to rethink the buildings we use for providing care, and even our own homes, to ensure there is a readily accessible `room outside¿. The benefits are undeniable¿improved health, greater independence and often emotional and spiritual comfort. Which is why architect and landscape architect Annie Pollock has written this timely book, having devoted more than 40 years of her life to designing dementia inclusive outdoor living. She is joined by Associate Professor Colm Cunningham contributes his extensive expertise on understanding dementia, ageing and evidence-based care approaches.The room outside is easy to read, informative and well-researched making it the perfect resource for those seeking to build, design or manage better outdoor spaces, or those wanting to access and advocate for them. Our residential care homes and hospitals have many rooms, but do they have a `room outside?¿ They should and the can¿and everything needed to make this happen can be found in these pages.

Learn how gardens and parks can be beneficial to residents Mounting evidence reveals that nature and outdoor environments provide individuals with dementia greater enjoyment in life, lower stress levels, and positive changes to physical well-being. Outdoor Environments for People with Dementia explores how fulfilling the fundamental genetically based need of human relationships with nature can improve the health and well-being of people with dementia. Top experts analyze current research and comprehensively examine how the design processes of gardens and parks can be closely connected to effective interventions. Evaluation tools for those with dementia are discussed, including studies of the impact of plants and outdoor activities on this population. Outdoor Environments for People with Dementia discusses in detail practical approaches that can significantly improve the quality of life for dementia victims. Research is discussed revealing important aspects and issues needing to be addressed when creating better outdoor environments that are effective in helping residents of long term care facilities and residential care homes. The text is extensively referenced and provides several tables, figures, and photographs to clearly illustrate concepts. Topics discussed in Outdoor Environments for People with Dementia include: the impact of outdoor wandering parks and therapeutic gardens on people with dementia empirical studies on how access to and participation in nature-related activities can benefit people with dementia interventions to restore people with dementia having directed-attention fatigue evaluation tools for gardens for people with dementia research-based design recommendations for future gardens theories and empirical studies about healing gardens training staff to increase their knowledge about horticulture and encouraging them to involve residents in outdoor activities general guidelines for developing an outdoor space examination of the attributes for the superior outdoor space found in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with design recommendations for the future Outdoor Environments for People with Dementia is a valuable resource for scholars, policymakers, legislators, architects and urban planners, lending institutions, developers, landscape architects, and the lay public in general who have an interest in the subject—personal, professional, or civic.

The ebook edition of this title is Open Access and is freely available to read online. This book systematically explores and assesses the quality of the evidence base for effective and supportive design of living environments for people living with Dementia.

Demonstrating that it is essential to be sensitive to the cultural backgrounds of people with dementia in order to provide truly person-centred care, this book shows that it is possible to create culturally appropriate outdoor spaces and experiences that resonate with people with dementia on a fundamental level and are a source of comfort and wellbeing. Contributors drawn from a variety of backgrounds describe the significance of nature in the lives of people with dementia from diverse cultures, faiths, traditions and geographical locations, providing helpful insights into how access to the natural world may be achieved within different care settings. There are contributions from the UK (Scottish island, urban North East England and Norfolk farming communities), Canada, Norway, Japan, Australia, Sudan and South Africa, as well as a chapter on the specific difficulty of providing access to nature for people with dementia in hospitals. The voices of people with dementia and their carers are prominent throughout, and the book also contains evocative poetry and photographs of people with dementia enjoying nature and the outdoors in different contexts. A rich source of information and ideas for all those interested in creating culturally appropriate outdoor spaces and experiences for people with dementia, including dementia care practitioners, especially those at managerial level, policy makers, commissioners and those involved in designing and commissioning buildings and services.

Learn how gardens and parks can be beneficial to residents Mounting evidence reveals that nature and outdoor environments provide individuals with dementia greater enjoyment in life, lower stress levels, and positive changes to physical well-being. Outdoor Environments for People with Dementia explores how fulfilling the fundamental genetically based need of human relationships with nature can improve the health and well-being of people with dementia. Top experts analyze current research and comprehensively examine how the design processes of gardens and parks can be closely connected to effective interventions. Evaluation tools for those with dementia are discussed, including studies of the impact of plants and outdoor activities on this population. Outdoor Environments for People with Dementia discusses in detail practical approaches that can significantly improve the quality of life for dementia victims. Research is discussed revealing important aspects and issues needing to be addressed when creating better outdoor environments that are effective in helping residents of long term care facilities and residential care homes. The text is extensively referenced and provides several tables, figures, and photographs to clearly illustrate concepts. Topics discussed in Outdoor Environments for People with Dementia include: the impact of outdoor wandering parks and therapeutic gardens on people with dementia empirical studies on how access to and participation in nature-related activities can benefit people with dementia interventions to restore people with dementia having directed-attention fatigue evaluation tools for gardens for people with dementia research-based design recommendations for future gardens theories and empirical studies about healing gardens training staff to increase their knowledge about horticulture and encouraging them to involve residents in outdoor activities general guidelines for developing an outdoor space examination of the attributes for the superior outdoor space found in Grand Rapids, Michigan, with design recommendations for the future Outdoor Environments for People with Dementia is a valuable resource for scholars, policymakers, legislators, architects and urban planners, lending institutions, developers, landscape architects, and the lay public in general who have an interest in the subject—personal, professional, or civic.

This comprehensive and authoritative guide offers an evidence-based overview of healing gardens and therapeutic landscapes from planning to post-occupancy evaluation. It provides general guidelines for designers and other stakeholders in a variety of projects, as well as patient-specific guidelines covering twelve categories ranging from burn patients, psychiatric patients, to hospice and Alzheimer's patients, among others. Sections on participatory design and funding offer valuable guidance to the entire team, not just designers, while a planting and maintenance chapter gives critical information to ensure that safety, longevity, and budgetary concerns are addressed.

In this pioneering book in the newly emerging field of architectural design and dementia, Uriel Cohen and Gerald Weisman set forth a program of practical design principles linked to specific therapeutic goals. People with dementia live in environments ranging from their own homes to community-based group homes and long-term care facilities. Holding On to Home addresses key issues for the planning and modification of all these settings. The book is equally useful to caregivers, nursing home and adult day care planners and administrators, architects, and interior designers, as well as to students and practitioners of geriatrics and gerontology.

The impact of dementia on a person's memory, reasoning and language leads to barriers performing activities of daily living and make a person with dementia more vulnerable to the impacts of the built environment. [...] Dementia friendly communities "not only seek to preserve the safety and wellbeing of those with dementia, [but] also empower all members to celebrate the capabilities of persons with dementia, and view them as valuable and vital members of the towns, cities, villages and countries in which they reside." (Alzheimer's Disease International, nd). [...] Gardens and outdoor environments Gardens and outdoor spaces have positive impacts on mental and physical wellbeing of people with dementia in care homes by reducing agitation, pacing and exit seeking, violence, the type and frequency of medication use. [...] Design to incorporate links with the community include: • buildings and gardens that welcome the community in the space • design that reflects the community of location, to provide a sense of familiarity • participation in the community including outings, people watching. [...] The specific goals of the report are to: (i) present a philosophy of both care and design that will help change the long-term care landscape to meet the needs of all stakeholders - residents, family and professional caregivers, facility management, and communities (ii) reinforce to both designers and care providers the importance of maximizing the remaining strengths of residents with cognitive im.

This Handbook is a guide for the creation of gardens and outdoor spaces for people with dementia, specifically about therapeutic use of these spaces for beneficial outcomes. This handbook is aimed at managers, owners and operators of care homes, nursing homes and day care facilities. It will also be helpful to landscape architects, architects, commissioners of services for older people and all those involved in the provision of dementia care services.