Supportive Home Environments

About This Topic

This topic explores how a person’s home environment can be assessed and adapted, so people living with dementia can stay safely at home.

Throughout the session, you and your team will follow the story of Luisa, an 80-year-old Italian widow who lives alone in her family home, with support from her daughter, Angela. Luisa is a passionate gardener and cook, and lives with Alzheimer’s disease, macular degeneration and congestive heart failure. Her story provides a consistent thread and real-world anchor through the session.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session, participants should be able to:

• Recognise how home environments can become disabling for people living with dementia as their needs change
• Apply the National Aged Care Design Principles and Guidelines to improve home environments for people living with dementia
• Describe how allied health professionals collaborate with people living with dementia and their care partner to recommend environmental adaptations that support safety, participation and quality of life

How to Prepare

1. Read the Facilitator Guide alongside the Interactive Training Tool, working through both together so you’re familiar with the flow, animations and interactive elements before running the session.
2. Download the A5 Spot the Difference Flip Cards, then share them with your team after the session so they can use them in their own practice.
3. Make sure you can access this web page during your session so you can show the Interactive Training Tool below – on a laptop or tablet, a projector and screen, or a screen-sharing setup for virtual meetings.