A new research project will look at how we support the quality of life of people living with dementia and what impact the actual design of Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACF’s) has on their lives.
UTS Law’s Dr Linda Steele is co-ordinating the project which is funded by the Dementia Research Foundation.
In most RACFs, people living with dementia are separated in locked facilities with limited access to outdoor spaces and the wider community:
This ‘congregation, segregation and confinement’ has long been accepted practice but it is possible that the built environment of these facilities is harmful for people living with dementia.
The current Royal Commission into Aged Care is focussing on practices within care facilities but the project team wants to ensure that the effects of the built environment are also considered.
The team will convene forums in Wollongong and Sydney in May to bring together people living with dementia, care partners, aged care facility workers, dementia advocates, and aged care regulators for focus group discussions.