The Dementia Friendly Community Environmental Assessment Tool provides a relatively simple checklist. It takes in many of the regular aspects of accessibility overlaid with design thought for people with dementia. A good place to start your thinking.
The more recent online resource from Dementia Training Australia expands on the 2015 edition and goes into more detail. Sections can be downloaded separately. There are three parts in the handbook:
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- 1 ‘Key Design Principles’ contains a description of key design principles.
- 2 ‘The Dementia Friendly Community – Environmental Assessment Tool introduces the tool and provides directions for its use.
- 3 ‘Using the Spreadsheet’ contains a guide to scoring and showing the results graphically.
This assessment tool is No. 5 in a set of 7 resources within the Environmental Design Resources Handbook.
There is also a free app to guide you through an assessment on the strengths and weaknesses of buildings for people with dementia. The website has more resources covering both community living and residential care.
The Moments Café
With financial support from the local council and a crowdfunding campaign they raised sufficient funds to get the Moments Cafe up and running. Moments Café is a Social Enterprise based in the heart of Plymouth City Centre. The offer a safe environment for people to meet, eat and socialise and all of the profits go towards Memory Matters.