Abstract
Many older people, both with and without dementia, eventually move from their familiar home environments into unfamiliar surroundings, such as sheltered housing or care homes. Age-related declines in wayfinding skills can make it difficult to learn to navigate in these new, unfamiliar environments. To facilitate the transition to their new accommodation, it is therefore important to develop retirement complexes and care homes specifically designed to reduce the wayfinding difficulties of older people and those with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Residential complexes that are designed to support spatial orientation and that compensate for impaired navigation abilities would make it easier for people with dementia to adapt to their new living environment. This would improve the independence, quality of life and well-being of residents, and reduce the caregivers’ workload. Based on these premises, this opinion paper considers how evidence from cognitive psychology, neuropsychology and environmental psychology can contribute to ageing- and dementia-friendly design with a view to minimising spatial disorientation. After an introduction of the cognitive mechanisms and processes involved in spatial navigation, and the changes that occur in typical and atypical ageing, research from the field of environmental psychology is considered, highlighting design factors likely to facilitate (or impair) indoor wayfinding in complex buildings. Finally, psychological theories and design knowledge are combined to suggest ageing- and dementia-friendly design guidelines that aim to minimise spatial disorientation by focusing on residual navigation skills.
Highlights
The lifespan of the world’s population is increasing, and the proportion of people over 60 years old is predicted to rise from 12% in 2015 to 22% in 2050 (World Health Organisation (2015))
This is problematic as a considerable proportion of older people with and without dementia eventually move from their familiar home environments into unfamiliar surroundings, such as sheltered housing or care homes
We look at research from the field of environmental psychology to focus on design factors likely to facilitate indoor wayfinding in complex public buildings, such as hospitals, museums, department stores, and so on
Summary
The lifespan of the world’s population is increasing, and the proportion of people over 60 years old is predicted to rise from 12% in 2015 to 22% in 2050 (World Health Organisation (2015)). Among the different types of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most prevalent form, accounting for 60–70% of cases (World Health Organisation 2019) Both typical ageing and dementia result in marked declines of orientation and navigational abilities Spatial orientation and navigational skills start deteriorating relatively early in the ageing process, even when there are no apparent deficiencies in other cognitive abilities (Harris and Wolbers 2012; Moffat 2009). Kirasic 1991; Lopez et al 2018); for exceptions see (Muffato et al 2020), whereas the decline in orientation and wayfinding skills makes it difficult for older adults to navigate and learn new, unfamiliar environments This is problematic as a considerable proportion of older people with and without dementia eventually move from their familiar home environments into unfamiliar surroundings, such as sheltered housing or care homes. In 2014, already 38% of the people with dementia in the UK were living in residential care or nursing homes (Prince et al 2014)
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