Effects of Physical Environment on Health and Behaviors of Residents With Dementia in Long-Term Care Facilities A Longitudinal Study

The challenges in investigating the effects of the physical environment on residents with dementia include having a sample of comparable study groups and a lack of long-term follow-up evaluation. The current study attempted to address these two challenges by carefully matching residents and analyzing long-term measurement data. The aim of the study was to examine whether residents with dementia (N = 12) living in a traditional large-scale setting or a small-scale, home-like setting exhibit any difference in health and behaviors over time. Physical environmental assessment of the two care facilities was conducted using the Therapeutic Environment Screening Survey for Nursing Homes. Residents' behavioral assessments were performed using three tools at three assessments over a period of 1 year: (a) Multidimensional Observation Scale for Elderly Subjects, (b) Minimum Data Set, and (c) Dementia Care Mapping. The results suggest that older adults with dementia can have increased social interaction and engagement with the support of an optimal physical environment.