Full course description
This course has been developed by the University of Auckland, Alzheimers NZ and the Village Architect.
In the Living with Dementia Short Course Series participants will learn how to help create environments that better support people living with dementia (mate wareware). Participants will better understand how dementia affects the way we see, understand, and move through our surroundings—and what we do to make things easier.
Please note before completing this course, participants must first complete the following courses:
Introduction to Dementia Design Aotearoa
Dementia Design Aotearoa: Design Essentials
Across these foundational courses, you’ll learn simple, practical ways to adapt your home or care setting to reduce stress, support independence, and create a greater sense of safety and comfort.
Modality: Self paced, online
Duration: 7 hours (required to complete this course)
Price: $725.00 incl. GST
Short course structure and topics covered:
This short course is an advanced course designed to help care providers create environments that better support people living with dementia (mate wareware) in residential and care settings.
Rather than working room by room, this course looks at how the physical environment can be actively used as a tool of care to improve wellbeing, tackle common day-to-day challenges, and support the way care is actually delivered. Participants will consider how their model of care integrates with the environment, and how that shapes design decisions both large and small.
The course is made up of the following modules:
- Overview & learning outcomes — how environment and model of care work together, and what good design sets out to achieve.
- Functional spaces — designing the everyday spaces of a care setting so they support residents, families (whānau) and staff.
- Using the environment to reduce distress — how thoughtful design can calm, reassure and reduce agitation.
- Using the environment to reduce falls — layout, lighting, flooring and fittings that support safe movement and independence.
- Using the environment for infection control — balancing hygiene and safety with a homely, dignified feel.
- Using the environment for engagement — spaces that encourage connection, activity and meaningful participation.
- Technology integration — assistive and everyday technologies, and how to weave them into the environment.
Participants will learn how changes to the environment — often simple and low-cost — can make a meaningful difference for the person living with dementia, and for those who care for them.
We provide practical guidance for retrofitting existing care settings to better support people living with dementia and their families.
Learning Outcomes:
After completing these online modules, we would expect you to be able to:
- Identify how aged residential care environments influence everyday life, wellbeing, independence, and identity.
- Explore how environmental design can help address common challenges such as distress, falls, infection risk, and disengagement.
- Examine the difference between institutional environments and spaces that better support autonomy, orientation, comfort, and daily living.
- Recognise practical opportunities to adapt existing environments to better support safety, recovery, function, and quality of care.
- Identify how technology can be integrated into the physical environment of aged residential care in ways that are practical, ethical, and responsive to future needs.
Who should attend?
This course is designed for the people who lead, work in, and shape residential and care environments for people living with dementia (mate wareware). This includes care leaders and managers, care practitioners, nursing practitioners, facility and operations managers, and the design and building professionals who create these settings architects, interior designers, developers, renovators and builders.
Payment for short courses is normally by credit card. If you need to pay by invoice or require assistance, please email shortcourses@auckland.ac.nz. Please note that the University does not issue individual invoices for amounts less that $500 New Zealand dollars.
By enrolling in a Short Course at the University of Auckland you agree to the Short Course Terms and Conditions