Adapting living environments for persons with Alzheimer's disease

Skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and specialized housing can be enhanced by incorporating dementia-oriented adaptations that better match the environment to the capabilities of individuals at different stages of dementia. Environmental adaptations can be made through architectural, interior, and landscape design specifications. New models of care for Alzheimer's disease are emerging all along the long-term care continuum. This trend has been accompanied by a gradual growth in the knowledge base about designing and delivering specialized dementia care. Three components of care are critical: (1) environmental design, (2) program development, and (3) staff development. Six different models of dementia care were identified based on an analysis of care attributes that represent the critical components of care. These models differed in terms of caregiver satisfaction and resident characteristics (ADL scores, cognition, stage of dementia, agitation, and antipsychotic drug use).