ABSTRACT
Modern care concepts and architectural spatial planning are no longer based on the hospital model, but rather on the individual requirements of the elderly as well as the increasing number of people suffering from dementia. How the elderly relate to their environment, especially those with dementia, can be understood through Powell Lawton and Lucille Nahemow’s environmental press model. This understanding of the interaction between person and environment posits that a person’s "competence", or ability to perform physical or mental tasks, can be either challenged or supplemented by the built environment, the combination of which results in their behavior. The Erika Horn Residential Care Home accommodates 105 elderly residents suffering from typical age-related diseases, such as dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and cardiovascular diseases. Residents on average live at the care home for one and a half years. For most residents, the care home is the final place of stay in their lives.
