Contents Analysis on the Characteristics of Living Environmental Design in Facilities for the Elderly with Dementia, USA

미국 치매노인시설의 거주환경디자인 특성의 내용분석

The purpose of this study was to analyze environment-behavior concepts included in environmental design characteristics of facilities for elderly with dementia. Major method was contents analysis of actual environmental designs. For comparison between the environment-behavior concepts and actual cases, an analytical framework was developed. Eleven cases of facilities designed for people with dementia were analyzed. Those were published ones in periodicals in USA. The analytical data used included floor plans, texts, and visual materials including photographs. Under the framework for analysis, a total of 296 criteria were used to analyze the actual cases of environmental design. This study was expected to offer a knowledge base for better environmental design for elderly with dementia and to help establish guidelines for designing such facilities which can meet the cultural characteristics and traditional conditions of Korea.