Icon for Key Principle 7

PRINCIPLE 7: Supportive care environments for older people with confusion

NSW hospitals will provide a supportive care environment for the older person with confusion.

Quality measures and Expected outcomes

Well-designed hospital environments can reduce confusion and stress for older patients with dementia and delirium (1).

CHOPs recommend the following quality measures and expected outcomes of implementation of the key principle of creating a supportive care environment.

Quality measures

System measures

  • Environmental Audit available.
  • Dementia friendly design principles are considered in any capital works/ refurbishment.

Patient measures

  • Plan to address identified environmental issues at individual level.

Expected outcomes

  • Hospital teams will undertake environmental assessments of their wards and implement improvements (simple and major as appropriate) in the physical environment to create supportive environments for the confused older person.

Reference

  1. Dementia Services Development Centre. Design features to assist patients with dementia in general hospitals and emergency departments. Stirling: 2012.