Abstract—In Taiwan, most of the facilities are designed for the elderly people’s dwellings, but they are not proper to the residents with dementia. In this research, for illustration on Chia-Li Veteran Home in Tainan, we explore how to build a comprehensive community environment through reconstructing old buildings in order to care elderly people with dementia. The aim of this research is to analyze the care model in a comprehensive environment, in which the elderly people with dementia can received integrated care, except of using psychiatric medicines. Regarding research method, we adopt both documentary analysis and observation to collect data. Using documentary analysis method to explore the relevant literatures regarding the care for the elderly with dementia provides us rudimentary knowledge about the comprehensive community environment. Moreover, we visited and observed the Chia-Li Veteran Home in Tainan during the March, 2015. According to research findings, firstly, it is designed as a unit care, in which 12 elderly people dwells together with individual care plan. Secondly, the community remains large spaces and free areas in order to create activity places for elderly with dementia, as well as maintaining sufficient light and circulated air. Thirdly, the design of a comprehensive community environment reveals personal characteristics that facilitate the elderly people with dementia distinguishing symbols for returning their rooms. Fourthly, in the community, even though a regular arrangement of daily life for the elderly with dementia is significant to their psycho-social stability, individual flexibility is still allowable. Fifthly, integrated care group consisting by numerous professionals provide comprehensive care, and thereby the usage of psychiatric medication can be reduced in the community. In conclusion, the findings are meaningful to the relevant facilities in Taiwan, particularly when they redesign a comprehensive community environment for providing better care to the elderly with dementia.

Index Terms—Dementia care, Community environment, Non medication treatment

Cite: Hubert C. Y. Liu and Cheng-Chung Tsai, "An Analysis of Improving Community Environment for Dementia Care: A Case Study on Chia-li Veteran Home in Taiwan," International Journal of Food Engineering, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp. 40-44, December 2020. doi: 10.18178/ijfe.6.2.40-44

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