The power of personal spaces: Designing rooms that feel like home

Did you know that a residential care home doesn’t have to feel institutional? Personal touches, familiar objects, and warm design can be used to transform rooms into comforting spaces that support memory and dignity.  

In this episode, Dr Jo Sun and Yashi discuss the importance of creating personalised, familiar, and dementia-friendly spaces in aged care facilities.

Tune in to learn about: 

·         Why personalisation reduces anxiety and supports memory 

·         Simple, affordable changes families and teams can make 

·         Balancing safety with familiarity in design 

·         How personal spaces strengthen identity and belonging  

Dr Joanna Sun is an environmental gerontologist and lecturer at the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre. She leads the Design and Dementia Global Knowledge Translation (DESIGN) Project and has over two decades of experience across Singapore and Australia in design, aged care, and dementia care. Her work focuses on enabling environments, cultural influences in dementia care, and knowledge translation. Dr Sun co-developed the Singapore Environmental Assessment Tool (SEAT) and contributes to the global Dignity Manifesto of Design for people living with dementia. In 2024, she was recognised as a Fellow of the Australian Association of Gerontology.

If you work in aged care, respite, or support someone living with dementia, this episode will give you fresh inspiration and practical ideas.