Design for Nature in Dementia Care

by Garuth Chalfont

Maintaining a connection to nature is increasingly recognised as an important component of caring for a person with dementia. Design for Nature in Dementia Care provides comprehensive examples of ways to connect to nature through indoor and outdoor activities. The author describes a wide range of activities that offer a connection to nature, such as caring for house plants and pets, gardening and cooking, practising handicrafts and domestic chores. He suggests practical ways to incorporate nature into indoor and outdoor environments and also into the design of buildings and landscapes. These suggestions are drawn from interdisciplinary research in environmental psychology, neurology, architecture, nursing and dementia care practice. This book is a practical resource for care providers and design professionals who want to use nature to improve the lives of people with dementia.

184 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2007

Reviews

[Debbie Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this garden design book which keeps the pereson with dementia at the heart of every page. Clear design principles applied to care and dementia settings. The call to action for more research at the end of this book lead to the research project I undertook and our supporting works in the 'Why don't we go into the garden?' series which are very much inspired by Garuth Chalfont's work and the foundation he has set in this field. Love the fact he avoids the gimmicks and quick fixes that can distract from simple honest and meaningful design in a care environment.

[Kei · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for those who want to learn more about environmental psychology, especially with people with dementia as the focus.