Community places visited and abandoned by people living with dementia in British Columbia, Canada: patterns and implications

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Purpose This study explores patterns of community participation and abandonment among older adults living with mild to moderate dementia in British Columbia, Canada. It identifies types of out-of-home places that are retained and/or abandoned over time, as well as the reasons for ongoing participation or the abandonment of places. Methods The study uses the ACT-OUT survey and the participants included 32 community-dwelling individuals living with dementia. All participants described the places they visited across four areas—consumer, medical, social, and recreational—reflecting on their past, current, and expected future participation. Patterns in the data were examined using one-sample t-tests. Results Significant declines in participation were observed from past to present in most categories, particularly for administrative offices (e.g., government buildings, city halls, and other bureaucratic service centers), sports facilities, places of worship, and hospitals. Commonly retained places included neighborhoods, parks, senior centers, and doctor’s offices, largely due to familiarity, proximity, and necessity. Anticipated future participation showed stability or modest improvement in similar categories. Conclusion The findings highlight a narrowing of community engagement for people living with dementia, which emphasizes the importance of dementia-friendly community initiatives that prioritize familiar, accessible, and supportive environments to sustain meaningful out-of-home participation.