Purpose The independence and well-being of people with dementia can be significantly influenced by the design of the physical environments around them. Several assessment tools exist to evaluate the dementia design quality of existing residential aged care facilities but, to date, none have been formally identified as suitable for use during the design process. This paper aims to examine the feasibility of re-purposing existing post-occupancy tools for use during the design process, while mapping the influence of design stages on resulting dementia design quality. Design/methodology/approach Literature searches identified audit tools for residential aged care settings. After reliability screening, three tools were analysed in-depth, mapping their suitability for use during the design process. Findings The study confirmed that existing tools can be re-purposed for design stage use and identified that early design stages have a larger influence on overall dementia design quality than previously thought. Research limitations/implications Non-English language publications were not reviewed. Searches may not have identified other existing audit tools for residential care environments. Practical implications The ability to assess proposals at key stages of design may help improve the dementia design quality of future residential aged care environments – potentially enhancing the lives of ever-larger numbers of people with dementia. Originality/value According to the authors’ knowledge, this is the first known paper to consider formal design-stage evaluation of dementia design quality and the first to identify the relative influence of key stages of design on the resulting dementia design quality.

Given their difficulty of access, the canopies of tropical rain forests are considered a last frontier of biological/ecological research (Lowman & Nadkarni 1995). Climbing techniques are arduous and do not reach the tips of branches; towers, cranes and walkways limit the spatial exploration of the forest.

A growing majority of people living in Residential Care Facilities (RCFs) for older people have dementia. Yet the implementation of evidence-based Dementia Design Principles (DDPs), known to reduce symptoms and improve wellbeing, remains limited. This paper reports on the development and application of Plan-EAT, a floorplan-based method of assessing dementia design quality in RCFs. Through the analysis of 34 published architectural exemplars, the method identifies strengths and weaknesses in the layouts of residential care buildings, across 39 assessment criteria organized under 9 DDPs. The paper concludes that the Plan-EAT could benefit architectural practice by providing an evidence-based means of assessing layout planning quality, in both existing cases and emerging RCF design proposals. The findings also highlight the need for care, where reliance is placed on published case studies, to inform the design of dementia supportive environments.

Background The built environment has been shown to have significant potential to improve the quality of life and contribute to the well‐being of persons living with dementia. Persons with dementia in residential care suffer from isolation as it is difficult for staff and family members to find common routes of communication when the disease progresses. Within dementia care there is an urgent need to further facilitate communication especially with people living with late stage dementia. Storytelling has been effectively used in art therapy and art interventions for people affected by dementia to enhance communication, social connectivity and well‐being. This presentation explores the possibilities of incorporating a novel type of environmental design in care homes that would enhance narrative agency in residents with dementia thus allowing residents, caregivers and staff members to communicate through storytelling. Methods Drawing on interdisciplinary research, the primary focus of the presentation is a case study examining the implementation of storytelling design in residential care settings. The case study reports on the co‐creation of a space focused on offering lived experiences for residents with dementia in a London care home highlighting design elements that trigger storytelling and stimulate imagination. Such elements include sensory wall surfaces, furniture, soft furnishings, configuration of space and inclusion of technology. The presentation explores whether this type of design could provide routes of communication between residents, staff and family members thus improving the quality of life of people living with dementia. Results Based on this case study example, the presentation discusses the value and impact of appropriate storytelling design on the wellbeing of people with dementia and their carers, and future avenues for improving the physical environment in care homes based on narrative design possibilities. Conclusion There is a possibility for a significant impact of narrative design to communication, social connectivity and well‐being of people living with dementia.