Wayfinding and Urban Design From the Perspective of People Living With Dementia – A Call for Participatory Research
In this perspective paper and ‘hearing the voice’ effort, two internationally recognized dementia advocates who are living with dementia, and three interdisciplinary researchers from the fields of environmental psychology, nursing science, and sociology, co-author their discussion and perspectives on: (1) why it is important to include the perspective of people living with dementia in research, and (2) how the inclusion and participation of people living with dementia in research could take form. We engaged in semi-structured interviews, and then co-authored this perspective paper in iterative discussions via phone/online calls and e-mails. The article has two parts: (1) we discuss ways for participatory research that includes people living with dementia as experts on their lived experience; and (2) we explore wayfinding in urban environments as practical example that we identified as relevant when discussing dementia-sensitive environments. We conclude that co-research and perspective-taking are crucial for researchers and practitioners who tackle mental health in cities, such as the development of dementia-sensitive urban environments.
Author team:
Helga Rohra, Jim Mann
Mike Rommerskirch-Manietta, Martina Roes
Saskia Kuliga
Publish information
| Publisher: | Journal of Urban Design and Mental Health, UD/MH |
| Year of publication: | 2021 |
| License: | Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) License |