Rethinking Environments in Dementia Care Homes (REDem) - paving the way for equality in care delivery

Living with dementia in a foreign country does not only mean forgetfulness (memory loss), but it also means a gradual loss of the second language. When the diagnosis has reached to a more advanced stage, the foreign-born residents may move to a dementia care home. A new home where no one speaks their mother tongue. There is a loss of traditional food and the access to desired cultural/religious activities are likely to be less.

The overall aim of the project is to combine scientific and empirical knowledge to develop working methods that best integrate the organizational, physical, and social environments in dementia homes to meet the needs of people with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

The project, which is national and interdisciplinary, will be carried out in dementia homes in the municipalities of Halmstad, Stockholm, Uppsala and Örebro. This should bring us closer to our ultimate goal: to ensure equal and person-centered dementia care for all residents, regardless of their cultural or linguistic background.

The project is being carried out by an interdisciplinary research group called "Wellbeing promotion using Care Environment and Technologies (WellCET)".

Publications

2026

Cultural competence in dementia care: Care workers and managers perspectives on physical and social environments in Long-Term Care. 

Preserving togetherness or ensuring safety? The dilemma of where to live and receive dementia care.

2025

Beyond the intervention: how physical, social, and organisational contexts trigger wellbeing for minority ethnic residents with dementia: a realist synthesis

The use of care home environments to meet culture-specific needs of culturally and linguistically diverse residents with dementia: an integrative review using the ICF framework. 

Conference abstracts

2026

Cultural competence in dementia care: Care-workers and managers perspectives on physical and social environments in Long-Term Care.

Environment as a therapeutic tool: an evaluation of care home environments to support well-being among minority ethnic residents with dementia.

Beyond the Intervention: How Physical, Social, and Organisational Contexts Trigger Wellbeing for Minority Ethnic Residents with Dementia: A Realist Synthesis. 

Supporting Minority Ethnic Residents’ Well-Being Through Culturally Reflective Care Environments. 

2025

Adapting Nursing Home Environments: Insights from Workshops on Overcoming Barriers and Meeting Culture-Specific Needs of Residents with Dementia.

The use of care home environments to meet culture-specific needs of culturally and linguistically diverse residents with dementia: An integrative review.

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