Universal Design Guidelines: Dementia Friendly Dwellings for People with Dementia, their Families and Carers
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Research Pillar: Healthy and Inclusive Places
Project Name/Title/Acronym: Universal Design Guidelines: Dementia Friendly Dwellings for People with Dementia, their Families and Carers
Funding Body: National Disability Authority’s Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD)
Project Partners: TrinityHaus and the DSIDC’s Living with Dementia research programme (TCD)
Project Timeframe: 2014-2015
Key Output(s): Universal Design Guidelines and a Key Findings and Recommendations Report : See here.
Project Description:
The aim of the project was to engage with key stakeholders, particularly people living with dementia, families and carers, to understand the main issues around dementia and the design of housing. Following this process, research and design guidelines have been created to provide guidance for built environment professionals such as architects, planners, landscape architects, quantity surveyors, engineers and builders, as well as health service professionals, to produce dementia-friendly new housing or to retro-fit people’s existing homes, using a universal design approach.
According to CEUD “If new dwellings or alterations to existing dwellings are built in line with a Universal Design dementia friendly approach, then they will help people to remain living at home and in their community independently and safely for as long as possible. This approach will also support family members and carers to sustain the caring relationship, particularly if these carers are older people or a person with a disability”.
This project looked at internal air quality therefore addressing some issues ‘Healthy environments’ and also covered issues around heating and energy conservation and thus linked with ‘Sustainable and climate responsive communities’. Through the research and engagement process adopted, the project also supported the 4th TrinityHaus pillar - Co-creation, collaboration and stakeholder engagement
Nationally, this project supports the ‘National Dementia Strategy’, the ‘Housing Options for Our Aging Population Policy’ and the ‘Housing for all’ plan. Internationally, it supports various UN Sustainable Development Goals as indicated below:
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Publications:
- GREY, T., DYER, M., PIERCE, M. & CAHILL, S. 2015. Universal Design Guidelines: Dementia Friendly Dwellings for People with Dementia, their Families and Carers (forthcoming). Ireland The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design at the National Disability Authority (see https://universaldesign.ie/Web-Content-/UD_Guidelines-Dementia_Friendly_Dwellings-2015-Introduction.pdf)
Presentations
- Grey T, Dyer M, Pierce M, Cahill S, 2015, Designing and Retrofitting for Dementia Friendly Dwellings through the Universal Design Approach, IAGG-ER Congress 2015 -Unlocking the Demographic Dividend, Dublin, Ireland.
- Pierce M, Cahill S, Grey T, Dyer M, 2015, Design for Dementia Friendly Dwellings: Hearing the Voices of People Embroiled in the Process, IAGG-ER Congress 2015 -Unlocking the Demographic Dividend, Dublin, Ireland
Contact details – for more information contact Tom Grey, tom.grey@tcd.ie