Envisioning a Healthier Build Environment for Elderly People with Dementia in Denmark: The 7th Asian Conference on Ageing & Gerontology

Recent scientific research has shown how exposure to daylight, clean air and continual contact with greenery, natural elements and habitats are crucial factors for human well-being (e.g. Gonzalez & Kirkevold, 2014; Detweiler et al, 2012). In the wake of these findings, it is highly important to improve access to facilities that enable and promote these effects of increased life quality and well-being among all groups of people in our societies. The presentation describes an in-progress project focusing on how to enhance the everyday conditions of elderly people in a care home setting in the town of Greve, Denmark, all of which are living with Dementia. The final product is a new physical extension to the existing building structure on the care home location that supports everyday life, activities and the overall welfare among the residents. In addition to this, the project includes the development of a set of generic guidelines for the design and use made to be transferred and tested in other settings in Denmark and internationally. In drafting and designing the conservatory the project group employ principles of Universal Design (e.g. Steinfeld & Maisel, 2012) in combination with newer research on the health-promoting potentials of spaces characterized by access to natural light, plant growth and living environments (e.g. Whear et al, 2014; Sidenius, Karlsson, Lygum & Stigsdotter, 2017). Furthermore, the work rests on a holistic ambition to create brighter, greener, naturally aligned and healthier conditions for residents, care home workers and visiting relatives alike.