Dementia is a growing problem worldwide. By 2050, it is expected to affect 152 million people worldwide. There is no cure, and few treatments that can help to slow the progression of the disease or manage the symptoms. However, design can play a major role in creating environments that are safe, comfortable, and stimulating for people with dementia.

This lecture will discuss the role of environmental design interventions in mitigating disruptive behaviors, improving quality of life, reducing stress, and providing support for caregivers.

Our brains use two memory systems: episodic and semantic memory. Episodic memory includes life events or autobiographical memory, while semantic memory holds abstract knowledge such as concepts, facts, and vocabulary. While people with dementia experience loss in both areas, semantic memory and short-term memories are more significantly disrupted. Emotions are closely associated with episodic memory, personal events, and personal experiences. Design is highly effective in targeting autobiographical sensory memory and increasing links between experience and memory.

The lecture will explore how the dementia brain can be accessed through successful behavioral, social, and environmental interventions that tap into the senses, nature, human empathy, and engagement. Engaging the autobiographical memory is a significant source of stress relief and can help to improve quality of life, reduce stress, and provide support for the burdened caregiver.

Environmental interventions can help bridge the emotional experience with sensory, perceptive, and reminiscent memory to help mitigate disruptive behaviors and their triggers. They can transform the care of those with dementia from merely keeping them safe to providing a rich experience. They help decode dementia's visceral world and support non-cognitive human experiences.