Exterior Environments for the Elderly with Dementia in the U.S.A.

The purpose of this study is to understand the importance of exterior environments and to identify the design guidelines for the therapeutic garden for cognitively impaired seniors with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. The data was collected from 4 Adult Day Care Centers, 2 Nursing Homes, & 1 Assisted living in the U.S.A. from 2001 to 2002 by interview and the floor plan about the outdoor space. Although some may believe that patients with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders are unresponsive to environment, evidence shows that environments especially designed for cognitively impaired seniors can maintain or increase their level of functioning. The use of specially designed exterior environments nay have in reducing incidents of aggressive behavior, and contributing significantly to a wanderer management program. The checklist includes 6 dimensions： safety environment, various sensual stimulations, social interactions, wandering, privacy, and support orientation and reality. The results indicated that the exterior environment have to support wandering behavior, orientation and reality.

치매노인을 위한 시설의 옥외공간에 관한 연구 -미국의 사례를 중심으로-