Dementia and mobility - issues, needs and solutions

Abstract

Structural transition in Austrian society in the larger context of demographic change and growing demands on infrastructure, organization and planning in the public sphere have been discussed profusely in recent years in the context of some projects. While a number of national and international research projects especially focussed on the older age groups and their requirements for staying mobile by developing solutions on the individual, technological and infrastructural level, solutions for people who suffer from cognitive impairment as a result of dementia are still missing. The Austrian research project KOMPETENZ takes the first step in identifying the requirements that people with dementia, their caregivers and other relevant stakeholders in this context have towards public space in order to be able to maintain physical mobility of people affected by dementia. One of the main outcomes of the project included an assessment methodology linking barriers and collective mobility needs to high potential solutions, which supports all relevant stakeholders in the process.

Keywords

• dementia
• focus group discussions
• expert interviews
• social space analysis
• maintaining mobility