Can Metro Vancouver be a better home for people with dementia?
A new study is urging city planners in Metro Vancouver to consider people living with dementia.
The research from Simon Fraser University (SFU) found that things that bother most people — like streets packed with cars, cyclists, and e-scooters, construction shutting off walkways, and uneven sidewalks — have an even greater impact on people living with dementia.
Dementia is an umbrella term for people with loss of “memory, language, problem-solving and other thinking abilities that are severe enough to interfere with daily life,” according to the Alzheimer’s Association.
Kishore Seetharaman, the lead author of the research, said that people with dementia often face a “dual stigma.”
“The stigma of aging and the discrimination that comes with living with dementia,” he said, in a release.
He added that accessibility needs for people with dementia are often overlooked in urban design.
“Not because of overt discrimination, but rather there’s just a lack of knowledge and awareness about their needs.”
Researchers interviewed and walked with 14 people living with dementia across Metro Vancouver to understand the unique challenges they face. They then presented their findings to municipal planners to learn their perspectives.
They found that several factors make Metro Vancouver less considerate for people with dementia: sidewalks in a “poor state,” cyclists and scooters on walkways, not enough places to rest or public washrooms, and street crossings (cars turning while people are still crossing, short crossing times, and high curbs).
These factors all can lead to anxiety and stress. For example, unmaintained sidewalks can cause fear of falling.
Meanwhile, the research also found that familiar landmarks (like art) are important for helping people orient themselves.
“People living with dementia have unique accessibility requirements in that there is far more emphasis on environmental support for orientation and way finding,” said Seetharaman.
He added that it is important that the urban environment has “legibility,” meaning it transmits spatial information, as well as “distinctiveness,” meaning it differs from other urban centres.
Seetharaman said that city planners were open to feedback and learning more, and understood the “shortcomings in urban planning and design.” For example, they pointed out that financial constraints make it challenging to maintain public washrooms.
“We want to see greater engagement with people living with dementia to increase awareness of the important role that the built environment has in everyday life,” Seetharaman said.