Bettering the Quality of Life for People with Dementia through Family and Intentional Community Living

Dementia is a cognitive disease affecting how a person acts and thinks, with symptoms affecting their memory and other behavioural aspects. Eventually, someone with dementia becomes dependent on others to perform routine daily tasks. Families typically act as primary caregivers, but ultimately, they may realize that the required level of care exceeds what they can provide. Design work in dementia care frequently focuses on the design specific to institutional healthcare for people with dementia without considering their quality of life in terms of sociability. This thesis explores an innovative project for dementia care, hybridizing cohousing living conditions and dementia villages in Brampton, Ontario, to include families in care housing and offer people support while allowing them to be a part of a broader community that shares their values and interests. The project aims to alleviate family guilt while meeting residents’ needs for a high quality of life.