Green Space and Dementia
Writing for The Conversation, we discuss the built environment and healthy cognitive ageing.
INCH Director and Chief Architect at the Dementia Services Development Centre, University of Stirling, Lesley Palmer discusses heathy cognitive ageing and the built environment
The Conversation_ Sept 25, 2020
Thirty years ago dementia was a condition less understood than it is now and assumed to be a normal part of ageing. A condition which affects the memory, it can also affect sight, hearing, balance, walking, visual and spatial understanding, navigation and tonal differentiation, and can cause hallucinations.
Today, dementia affects approximately 50 million people worldwide and is predicted to double in 20 years due to an ageing population and an increase in awareness and diagnosis. Dementia has become a global issue.
The design of the built environment can have a profound impact on how a person with dementia perceives, experiences and engages with the places and spaces in which they live. Yet much of the design guidance currently available is underpinned by research undertaken in developed countries.
[Read the full article in The Conversation here]
