Following the publication of the Government’s National Dementia Strategy, the conferences will explore best practice in design and construction as well as look at the impact of service delivery on patient well-being.

 

The learning starts on 19 October with the Dementia Services Development Centre’s fourth annual conference, the Coming of Age.

 

Held at Excel, the three-day event is aimed at all those who work with and support people with dementia, including clinicians, carers and architects and construction companies.

 

In terms of the impact of the built environment, the programme includes a design stream, with speeches by Dr William van der Eerden on Dutch large-scale dementia care environments; Professor Mary Marshall of the University of Sterling on the impact of balconies, terraces and roof gardens; and Clifford McClenaghan and Maria McManus from the Northern Ireland Dementia Services Development Centre, who will explore the acoustic environment and the effect of sound and noise on patients.

 

Speakers will also discuss the inclusion of the arts in dementia care settings, with presentations on how to engage residents, using video cameras for art therapy among early-onset sufferers, and the role of spirituality. In addition, there will be speeches on the impact of natural light, a 3D design school and advice on developing dementia wards in acute healthcare settings.

 

Keynote speakers include Professor Emma Reynish of the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, Scotland; Professor Stephen G Post of Stony Brook University in the US; Professor Henry Brodaty, from the University of New South Wales in Australia; and Professor Sandrine Andrieu of the Toulouse University School of Medicine in France. In all, there will representatives from 17 countries sharing their approaches to dementia care.

 

The DSDC is also joining forces with the University of Stirling to hold the London Dementia Design School from 16-18 November at the Isaac Newton Centre in Lancaster Road.