Designing for Dementia

Washington, D.C. is one of many cities with a growing population of older adults. "31% of the region’s population growth between now and 2045 will comprise people over the age of 65. Among these hundreds of thousands of people, up to a quarter will have dementia and other memory loss at some point in their lives," writes Jonathan Paul Katz. 

Many lives could be improved by prioritizing design interventions that make urban spaces more usable for people with dementia, says Katz. Contrary to popular belief, the word dementia describes a range of conditions and experiences related to cognitive decline. Kats further asserts that people with dementia, however, can age in their communities rather than in an institutional situation. 

Katz' article describes the difficulties faced by people with dementia in navigating an urban environment: "Skills that we take for granted are difficult for older adults with dementia, including the ability to find alternative routes, filter out extraneous sensory information, or remember directions."

Katz wants people wracking their brains to invent helpful design interventions to know that "walkable urban design and dementia-friendly design are often one and the same. There are also specific interventions that can make public spaces easier for people with dementia, including wayfinding, sensory and generational variation, and special attention to sitting areas and surfaces."

Read Katz' article to learn about a case study of The Wharf in Washington, D.C., in which designers provided sensory cues to help people affected by dementia navigate during their visit.