A Proposal for Design Guidelines for Dementia Care Facilities in Hawaii

Abstract

In Hawai‘i, there is a significant population of older adults who suffer with some form of dementia, and the numbers are predicted to increase more rapidly over the next decade as the baby boom generation reaches retirement age. At the same time, many care facilities profess to offer various special dementia or memory care programs. But what exactly does this mean? What are the standards these facilities use to ensure proper care of those with dementia? Hawai‘i often trails behind current trends, technologies, and designs, moving laggardly toward necessary change. The field of dementia care in Hawai‘i is no different. There exist no set guidelines or standards by which a care facility must abide in order to offer specialized care. This dissertation addresses this lack. The first part of this project presents the research, which discusses the specifics of Alzheimer's disease and dementia and examines existing design considerations and guidelines, different types of care facilities, and existing dementia care therapies. Case studies take a closer look at four local care facilities that offer dementia or memory care to see how they stand up to the existing body of knowledge and compare to each other. They offer a glimpse into current dementia care in Hawai‘i. The second part of this project presents a set of guidelines for building Dementia Care Facilities in Hawai‘i. This portion is arranged in a format that is accessible to architects and designers.