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Wayfinding for People with Dementia: A Review of the Role of Architectural Design
Gesine Marquardt. HERD Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 2011-01-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
The design of the physical environment plays a major role in supporting the wayfinding abilities of people with dementia. The floor plan design of a nursing home in particular has a significant influence on residents' spatial orientation and wayfinding. Additional interventions such as signage, furnishing, lighting, and colors are additional supporting features but they cannot compensate for an adverse architectural design. For the creation of a supportive, dementia-friendly environment, both aspects of architectural design must be considered. Design guidelines to support the wayfinding abilities of people with dementia were developed to synthesize both.
Key findings
- The design of the physical environment plays a major role in supporting the wayfinding abilities of people with dementia.
- The floor plan design of a nursing home in particular has a significant influence on residents' spatial orientation and wayfinding.
- Additional interventions such as signage, furnishing, lighting, and colors are additional supporting features but they cannot compensate for an adverse architectural design.
- For the creation of a supportive, dementia-friendly environment, both aspects of architectural design must be considered.
- Design guidelines to support the wayfinding abilities of people with dementia were developed to synthesize both.
Why it matters
This review found that the design of the physical environment, especially the floor plan of a nursing home, plays a major role in supporting wayfinding for people with dementia. Additional features like signage, lighting, and colors can help but cannot compensate for an adverse architectural design.
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 37/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (HERD Health Environments Research & Design Journal) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | HERD Health Environments Research & Design Journal: journal h-index 58 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2011 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 173 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 10.2 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 7.2× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 2 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 36 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Gesine Marquardt: h-index 13 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Technische Universität Dresden: institution h-index 870 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 0 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 1 institution(s) in 1 country — scores zero (affiliation lists can be incomplete) |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21465436) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 37 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Marquardt, G. (2011). Wayfinding for People with Dementia: A Review of the Role of Architectural Design. HERD Health Environments Research & Design Journal. https://doi.org/10.1177/193758671100400207
Vancouver
Marquardt G. Wayfinding for People with Dementia: A Review of the Role of Architectural Design. HERD Health Environments Research & Design Journal. 2011. doi:10.1177/193758671100400207. PMID: 21465436.
BibTeX
@article{marquardt2011-21465436,
author = {Marquardt, Gesine},
title = {{Wayfinding for People with Dementia: A Review of the Role of Architectural Design}},
journal = {HERD Health Environments Research \& Design Journal},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1177/193758671100400207},
pmid = {21465436},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1177/193758671100400207}
}
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