Extra care housing: Environmental design to support activity and meaningful engagement for people with dementia

AbstractDesign of new buildings has two broad objectives: to minimise or eliminate problems and to capture aspirations. This opinion piece argues that buildings designed for people with dementia have often been more successful in addressing problems than reflecting aspirations for optimum care and quality of life. Barriers to people engaging in enjoyable activity can be 'built in' to new buildings. Extra care housing developments present opportunities for reassessing design objectives. Design strategies aimed specifically at supporting activities that people enjoy in these settings are suggested.