Behavioral Mapping of Residents’ Activity in Five Residential Style Care Centers for Elderly Persons Diagnosed with Dementia: Small Differences in Sites Can Affect Behaviors

The principal purpose of the study was to investigate the day-long patterns of activity of residents and staff in five similar care centers for people with Alzheimer's disease. The Therapeutic Environment Assessment Scale provided an architectural basis for assessing the significance of activity data gathered through behavior mapping. Slight architectural differences contributed to effects that were large and enduring, producing as much as a 50% differences between sites in the portion of residents involved. Taken together, the results suggest that resident status, use patterns, and architectural design details of a homelike residential setting have significant effects on the daily activities of residents.