Charnley Fold: a practice model of environmental design for enhanced dementia day care

Purpose Rehabilitation aims to achieve optimal levels of physical, psychological, social and vocational well‐being. Even though cognitive interventions have been widely applied in dementia care for over 20 years, rehabilitation is largely ignored for degenerative diseases. The purpose of this paper is to present a case study to illustrate environmental design in rehabilitation for people with dementia. Design/methodology/approach This paper gives an overview of environmental design in rehabilitation for dementia, using the case study of Charnley Fold enhanced day care. It highlights key points contributing to the success of this practice model, outcomes achieved and arguments for rehabilitative dementia care. Findings This model of enhanced day care uses nature as a therapeutic tool and a powerful resource to facilitate the rehabilitative process. It achieves this through the design of the physical environment which maximizes a person's participation with others and the natural world, resulting in outcomes such as confidence, enthusiasm, motivation, re‐skilling, communication and mobility. Originality/value The paper highlights key points contributing to the success of this practice model, outcomes achieved and arguments for rehabilitative dementia care.