Enabling environments
What is an enabling environment?
An enabling environment is one which supports an individual to enjoy the best possible quality of life. This depends on many things, but improvements in an environment will make a person feel more at home and less anxious. Here are some reflections from our Postgraduate students on what they think makes an enabling environment.
Why are enabling environments important for people with dementia?
People with dementia can experience challenges created by poorly designed environments. Dementia causes changes in the brain which mean people can perceive the world differently. This can cause challenges with sensory modalities such as sight, smell and sound. There are many simple changes which can be made to help a person living with dementia maintain their independence. These can often be ‘quick wins’ like adding good colour contrast to help people see and differentiate different spaces.
To find out more about enabling environments please look at the sections below or contact Teresa Atkinson on t.atkinson@worc.ac.uk
What do we do at the Association for Dementia Studies?
At the Association for Dementia Studies we have a wealth of expertise in helping you to create the best possible environment for people living with dementia, whether that’s at home, in a care setting, in extra care housing or in hospital. We can provide advice, consultancy, training and bespoke guidelines for your organisation. Some of the organisations we have worked with:
- Assura - (see the separate section for more information)
- Community First –
- Extra Care Charitable Trust
- Royal College of Chiropractors
- Sanctuary
- Sheffield Social Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Vale of Glamorgan Adult Social Care – case study
- Worcestershire County Council –
What consultancy, tools and resources can we offer?
People with dementia can experience challenges created by poorly designed environments. Dementia causes changes in the brain which mean people can perceive the world differently. This can cause challenges with sensory modalities such as sight, smell and sound. There are many simple changes which can be made to help a person living with dementia maintain their independence. These can often be ‘quick wins’ like adding good colour contrast to help people see and differentiate different spaces.
Education: You may want to undertake training for yourself or your team. We offer a Level 7 Postgraduate module on ‘Enabling Environments for people living with dementia’ as part of our Postgraduate Certificate in Person-Centred Dementia Studies.
We also offer bespoke training which can be delivered face-to-face or online to help meet your team’s needs. Contact us for further information.
Consultancy: We can work with you to assess your environment and design and implement a plan of action based on the findings. We can also develop design guidelines specific to your organisation or setting.
Tools and resources: Our suite of environmental assessment tools now comprises six versions for different settings, and they are all available to download for free. You can also find out more about how to use the tools in this . We have developed a new booklet to make your garden dementia friendly. This is formatted as a booklet, so please choose this option if you print a copy.
Research: Several research projects have included enabling environments work, such as Green Dementia Care and .
Designing for Everyone: An environmental assessment toolkit for primary care premises
The Designing for Everyone environmental assessment toolkit has been developed to help GP practices, where the majority of NHS patient contacts take place, improve their buildings and the physical environment for people with learning disabilities, autism and cognitive impairment. It’s believed to be the first integrated resource of its kind to focus specifically on design principles to support people living with dementia, neurodiversity and conditions like anxiety.
The Association for Dementia Studies was commissioned to develop the toolkit by primary care building specialists Assura plc. It draws on research into best practice design for people living with dementia, neurodiversity and conditions like anxiety and earlier studies with Assura by the national charities and the . It will form part of Dimensions’ suite of training resources for general practice in its campaign.
The suite of tools, which includes easy read versions, is available free to download via the .
What is available more widely?
There are many documents which you may find useful to help you understand more about enabling environments for people living with dementia:
- We contributed a chapter to the Alzheimer’s Disease International ‘– Design, Dignity, Dementia: Dementia-related design and the built environment’
- Frost, F., Atkinson, T. and Latham, I. (2020). . The Care Environment Magazine.
- We helped to develop a guide and checklist for Dementia Friendly Village Halls.
- has publications drawn from their work on Enhancing the Healing Environment for people living with dementia.
- You may also find this '' a useful resource.