Designing aged care environments that support dignity, wellbeing and connection at every stage of life.
Home Matters – Rethinking Aged Care Design is an eight-part webinar series we are running with the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing. It explores how well-designed environments improve quality of life for older people and support safe, effective aged care workplaces.
Grounded in the National Aged Care Design Principles and Guidelines, the series brings together lived experience, research, design expertise and provider perspectives.
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Webinar Series
Each webinar can be attended as a standalone session or as part of the full series and is supported by practical tools and real-world case studies. Browse the eight part webinar series below to discover the practical strategies, case studies and expert insights on aged care design.
Each webinar includes a 30 minute panellist discussion and questions and answers. Webinar recordings will be available following each session.
1. Living Well in Care: A Conversation for Older People
Audience: Older people, families and carers
This opening session supports older people and those close to them to navigate decisions about moving into residential aged care. It explores what prompts a move into care, the range of care options available, and the key social, clinical and financial factors to consider when choosing a home.
2. Designing Better Aged Care Environments
Audience: Aged care and design professionals
This session introduces the webinar series and provides an overview of the National Aged Care Design Principles and Guidelines. It explores how cognitive change can influence behaviour, and how poorly designed environments can contribute to anxiety, agitation and distress.
3. Principle 1: Enable the Person
Audience: Aged care and design professionals
This webinar unpacks Principle 1 – Enable the Person, which focuses on supporting health, wellbeing and a strong sense of identity. Presenters explore how environments can promote independence and dignity while managing risk.
4. Principle 2: Cultivate a Home
Audience: Aged care and design professionals
This session explores Principle 2 – Cultivate a Home, focusing on creating familiar, home-like environments that support privacy, control and belonging.
5. Principle 3: Access the Outdoors
Audience: Aged care and design professionals
This webinar examines Principle 3 – Access the Outdoors, highlighting the importance of nature, fresh air and outdoor movement for wellbeing.
6. Principle 4: Connect with Community
Audience: Aged care and design professionals
This session focuses on Principle 4 – Connect with Community, exploring how environments can support meaningful relationships with family, friends and the wider community.
7. Designing Culturally Safe Aged Care
Audience: Aged care and design professionals
This webinar introduces a complementary resource to the Principles and Guidelines, focused on designing culturally safe aged care homes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
8. Transforming Aged Care Homes
Audience: Aged care and design professionals
The final session focuses on improving existing aged care environments and planning new builds. Using real-world case studies, presenters explore how older building stock can be transformed through staged, practical and cost-conscious interventions.
Environments Training Program
We train design, property management and care professionals to collectively help create supportive environments for people living with dementia and other aged-related dispositions.
Our consultancy service can help you create a dementia-friendly environment.
- Available nationwide
- Learn how to use an existing building more effectively, plan a refurb, or build new
- A multimodal, scaffolded approach to training
Care Home Assessment Tool (CHAT)
The Department of Health and Aged Care has developed this Assessment Tool to support the application of the National Aged Care Design Principles and Guidelines.
The Design Principles and Guidelines aim to improve quality of life for older people living in residential aged care homes. The tool will guide users through each of the four Design Principles and the Guidelines that sit beneath them.
Try CHAT NowEnvironments Resources
Explore our range of resources.
Environments Courses
Discover related courses below or browse all courses.
Online course
Explore why environments matter and how you can help support transformation of the places you work to better support people living with dementia.