Creating a dementia-supportive environment starts with noticing how your space feels and functions for the people who use it. This audit helps you look at your surroundings with fresh eyes, identify opportunities for improvement, and plan meaningful actions – whether small adjustments or long-term upgrades.
Every improvement matters. Even if you can’t change everything right away, awareness itself helps you support people living with dementia in thoughtful, compassionate ways.
An audit template is available in your downloadable workbook
Step 1: Observe Your Space
Take a slow walk through your space and imagine what it might feel like to someone living with dementia. Notice sensory elements (light, noise, smells, textures), layout, and how easy it is to get around. Try visiting at different times of day when lighting, sound, and crowd levels change. Before completing the checklist, ask yourself a few general questions about the overall feel of the space:
- Is this space calm or busy? Overwhelming or welcoming?
- Would a person feel comfortable finding their way, waiting, or asking for help here?
- Are there clear places to rest, orient, or regain confidence?
Step 2: Identify Strengths and Opportunities
Go through the checklist in the audit template and identify which of the actions you can take to make your space more dementia supportive. Not all the items will be relevant to your space – you can mark anything that doesn’t apply as “not applicable”.
Don’t worry if it looks like there are a lot of things you aren’t yet doing – this is very common and completely ok! We all have to start somewhere, and the purpose of the audit is to help you make a plan, not to make anyone feel bad.
Step 3: Prioritize and Plan
Once you’ve identified opportunities, decide what can be addressed right away and what may require more planning or resources. For each opportunity, ask yourself:
- Who needs to be involved?
- Will it cost a lot of money?
- Will it take a lot of time?
Based on your answers, you should be able to rate each opportunity for feasibility and effort using the scale below (and remember, it’s ok if quite a few of them feel unachievable right now).
- I can do it now, on my own
- It is easy to do, I just need my supervisor to agree
- It will need more help, support and input from my supervisor and leadership, but feels doable
- A change like this will need to be driven by organizational leadership
Before moving onto the more challenging changes, it’s a good idea to try the easier ones now and observe how people respond, gathering feedback and adjusting as needed. Celebrate small wins – they build momentum and inspire others to take part. Also, even if a larger change isn’t possible right now, there may be some alternative actions that will have a similar effect. Below are some alternative actions you can take that are more feasible.
Activity 2.2: Putting Awareness into Action
Now that you’ve learned how physical spaces can support (or challenge) people living with dementia, it’s time to take a closer look at your own environment. This activity will help you see your space through a new lens – noticing how it feels, how it functions, and how easily someone could find comfort, confidence, and connection within it.
Using the template in your workbook, you’ll move through three simple parts:
- General Space Assessment – Start by reflecting on the overall atmosphere of your space and how it might feel to someone living with dementia.
- Specific Space Assessment – Use the checklist to identify what’s already working well, what could be improved, and what isn’t relevant to your setting.
- Action Plan – Choose a few steps you can take right away, make a plan for longer-term improvements, and explore alternative actions when larger changes aren’t possible yet.
This process isn’t about perfection – it’s about awareness, empathy, and steady progress. Even small adjustments can make a big emotional difference. Take your time, be curious, and notice how each step helps create a calmer, more supportive space for everyone.
Conclusion
You’ve learned how thoughtful design and small environmental changes can transform how people with dementia experience a space. By seeing your surroundings through their eyes, you can reduce confusion, ease stress, and create places that feel calm, welcoming, and supportive. Every improvement – no matter how small – helps build a community where everyone can feel safe and connected.
In Module 3, Small Actions, Big Changes, we’ll take this same spirit of awareness and apply it to everyday interactions, exploring how simple choices can have a powerful impact on how people living with dementia feel and engage with the world around them.