This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Sheehan, B. Articles by Mitchell, L. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Outdoor wayfinding in dementia

University of Warwick, UK

Elizabeth Burton

Lynne Mitchell

Oxford Brookes University, UK

We aimed in this study to investigate (1) outdoor wayfinding performance of people with dementia; and (2) which features of the outdoor built environment are used in wayfinding by people with dementia. We observed 13 older subjects with confirmed dementia and 10 controls on outdoor walks.Two accompanying researchers recorded performance in wayfinding, built environment features and use of these features in wayfinding. Results showed that people with dementia performed worse on wayfinding, even in familiar areas, but that they attended to similar features of the built environment and made equal use of features such as signs in wayfinding. Research that investigates the built environment for people with dementia is feasible and may help guide planning policies likely to enhance independent community living for this group.

Key Words: landmarks • navigation • older

Dementia, Vol. 5, No. 2, 271-281 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1471301206062254


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?