Assessment Tools & Guides
The Dementia Alliance International (DAI) Environmental Design Special Interest Group (ED-SiG) provides a comprehensive collection of resources, including various assessment tools and design guides, aimed at assisting national dementia associations. These resources are curated to be compatible with the values and principles outlined in the Alzheimer’s Disease International, World Alzheimer’s Report 2020, Design, Dignity, Dementia.
Click here to visit the DAI ED-SiG Environmental Design Resources page
Here's an overview of some key assessment tools and design guides available through ED-SiG:
Assessment Tools
The Environmental Design Special Interest Group (ED-SiG) provides access to several key assessment tools designed to evaluate and improve dementia-friendly environments. It is listed according to country and includes assessment tools such as the Environmental Assessment Tool (EAT) from Dementia Training Australia, and the Dignity EAT. Others include, the Dementia Inclusive Design Audit, developed by Dementia Design Specialist Architect and the Global Brain Health Institute in Ireland, specifically focuses on assessing primary care centres for dementia inclusivity. Singapore's contribution includes the Singapore Environmental Assessment Tool (SEAT), with a comprehensive user guide published in 2020 by the Agency for Integrated Care. DSDC Stirling also provides IRIDIS, an innovative smartphone app that digitizes their research-based Dementia Design Audit Tool for convenient mobile use. Additionally, Canada's Simon Fraser University Department of Gerontology offers the Person Oriented Environmental Tool (POET), a commercially available resource that requires specialized training to ensure proper implementation. These tools collectively provide professionals with comprehensive options for assessing environmental design quality across various settings and budgets.
Design Guides, Handbooks, and Guidelines
The Environmental Design Special Interest Group (ED-SiG) provides comprehensive design guides, handbooks, and guidelines from leading global organizations to support the creation of dementia-friendly environments worldwide. From Australia, resources include extensive environmental design materials from Dementia Training Australia, covering assessment tools, Indigenous aged care design, and comprehensive handbooks and practical home adaptation guides from Alzheimer's WA and Canada contributes specialized long-term care design guidance through MMP Architects, while Ireland offers innovative resources including autism-friendly university design guides from Dublin City University and comprehensive dementia-friendly dwelling and hospital guidelines from TrinityHaus at Trinity College Dublin, covering both new construction and retrofitting projects. Singapore's Agency for Integrated Care provides forward-thinking resources on inclusive design principles, dementia-friendly neighbourhoods, and therapeutic garden guidelines. The United Kingdom offers the most extensive collection, ranging from neurodiversity design guides by BSI Standards Limited and accessibility toolkits from Dimension, to specialized dementia and sight loss design guidance from the Dementia Services Development Centre (DSDC) at Stirling. DSDC's comprehensive commercial guidelines cover everything from home design hints and signage tips to outdoor spaces, lighting design, and air quality considerations, culminating in their acclaimed "Architecture for dementia" publication. The World Health Organization's global perspective is also found in the list, contributing their recommendations through their age-friendly cities guide.
The ED-SiG group is actively looking for new recommendations for useful resources, especially from non-English speaking countries, and invites individuals or organisations to submit their suggestions. Please don't hesitate to visit their page to contribute.