Everyday built environments of care: Examining the socio-spatial relationalities of suburban neighbourhoods for people living with dementia

Abstract

There has been a call from US policy advisors to expand research on people living with dementia (PLWD) from health and social sectors to urban planning. The World Health Organization projects the number of PLWD to increase from 47 to 132 million worldwide by 2050, with 60–80% of PLWD residing within the community (as opposed to congregate settings). For PLWD, being supported by their neighbourhoods in terms of access has many benefits: more social interaction, sense of worth, dignity, and improved physical/mental health. As PLWD are likely to experience a “shrinking world” effect, it is important to investigate the socio-spatial relationality between PLWD and their neighbourhoods. Using a relational care lens, this research seeks to understand the everyday practices of seven (7) PLWD in their suburban neighbourhoods using multiple methods (semi-structured and go-along interviews, GPS tracking, travel diaries). PLWD interact with their neighbourhoods through processes of caring for self in the past, present, and future, in addition to (re)organizing their newfound interdependent realities and being cared for through human and more-than-human encounters in public spaces. This research demonstrated the ways in which PLWD were living through adversity in the built environment (“hopeful adaptation”), revealing innovative practices and structural barriers in suburban areas. Being able to access one's neighbourhood is a right, and this research highlights how certain socio-spatial characteristics of suburban neighbourhoods can, through a relational care lens, become a simultaneously caring and careless place.