Abstract
Spatial disorientation is a prime reason for institutionalization. The autonomy of the residents and their quality of life, however, is strongly linked with their ability to reach certain places within their nursing home. The physical environment has a great potential for supporting a residentg's wayfinding abilities. For this study, data were collected from 30 German nursing homes. Skilled nurses rated the residentg's ability to perform 5 wayfinding tasks. The architectural characteristics of the homes were analyzed and their impact on the resulting scores was tested for statistical significance using the Mann-Whitney U test (P
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 333-340 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and other Dementias |
Volume | 24 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Aug 2009 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Architecture
- Dementia
- Nursing home
- Spatial orientation
- Wayfinding
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
- Geriatrics and Gerontology
- Clinical Psychology