National Design Principles and Guidelines
National Aged Care Design Principles and Guidelines are being developed by the Department of Health and Aged Care in response to Recommendation 45 of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety Final Report. The Department engaged Dementia Training Australia as part of a University of Wollongong consortium to develop an initial draft of the Principles and Guidelines that are currently in draft form for public consultation with a final version scheduled to be issued in June 2024. DTA’s Nick Seemann and Liz Fuggle were lead authors.
The Principles and Guidelines build on an existing evidence base and internationally recognised approaches to designing supportive environments for older people. They are structured to support a variety of design approaches to meet the different circumstances of aged care homes and their residents. The Principles and Guidelines are built around four guiding principles of:
– Enable the Person
– Cultivate a Home
– Access the Outdoors
– Connect with Community
Dementia Training Australia has developed a range of resources to support both aged care executive and front line care staff implementing the principles within their organisation. View DTA Environments page. An aligned environmental assessment tool is currently in development.
Contact our Environments team to find out more. We are keen to support your work.
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