Impact of Renovations in Long Term Care Living Spaces on Residents With Dementia, Their Families and Staff

A long-term care facility in central Canada planned to renovate their existing dementia care units. The overarching objective of this study was to examine the effects of the renovations on residents, family, and staff.

A long-term care facility in central Canada renovated their existing dementia care units, which accommodates 60 residents with intermediate and advanced stages of dementia. The primary features of the renovation include physical upgrades and the addition of a large u-shaped activity pavilion. The overarching objective of this study was to examine the effects of these design transformations in the facility and grounds on residents, family, and staff. The overall project addressed the following questions: * How does the long-term care unit renovation affect the health outcomes, quality of life, and lived experiences of residents? * What are the effects of the long-term care unit renovation on care staff and family members? * What aspects of the transformation were responsible for observed changes? And what aspects worked or did not? A multi-component, mixed-methods (qualitative and quantitative) research plan was used in this project. Personal (resident, families, staff) and environmental variables (social interactions, implementation and use of technology and physical space) were assessed pre-renovation (spring/summer 2017) and post-renovation (summer 2019 and 2020). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, plans for additional data collection in the summer of 2020 were not completed. With this mixed-methods research plan, the investigators gained valuable information about the renovation that is important for long term care facilities.