Abstract
Most dementia care settings have an outside space but many are underused because they are not suitable for people living with dementia or because providers lack the confidence and resources to optimize use. The Living through Landscapes project intends to a) improve and transform the outside spaces of 30 care settings across the UK to make them dementia-friendly, and b) deliver training and resources to staff and management teams to promote the beneficial impact of regular and frequent access to the natural environment. This paper introduces the project and the research conducted by the authors to evaluate the functionality, use and impact of the re-designed spaces. Results for the first year of the project (approx. 10 settings) are presented on qualitative (interviews with people living with dementia using talking mats, focus groups with service staff) and quantitative (an adapted Sheffield Care Environment Assessment Matrix, quality of life i.e DEMQoL and DEMQoL proxy) measures. Pre (baseline) and post assessments (after the garden redesign) reveal improvements in use and functionality of the outside spaces, which are discussed in relation to the health, wellbeing and quality of life of service users living with dementia. The theoretical, practical and policy implications of designing and evaluating the impact of dementia friendly spaces are also discussed.