Rebecca Bachman, MLA
Nominated From: University of Washington
Research Site: Casa Hogar “Santa Rosa de Lima”
Research Area: Dementia and the Built Environment
Primary Mentor: Joseph Zunt
Research Project
The effects of built environment change on the mental health and well-being of people living with dementia and their caretakers in the Amazonian city of Iquitos, Peru.
Increasing elderly and increasing rates of dementia in the Peruvian Amazon are projected to produce greater demands on healthcare systems and the communities that depend on them. In Peru, the population of people who are older than 60 will increase in coming years, as well as populations living with dementia. Peruvian agencies are allocating increased funds toward support for elderly in Peru, and this study can help to move that support forward and build on an important body of research linking the built environments and well-being for people living with dementia.
Research Significance
Iquitos is home to an aging population and increasing burden of dementia has motivated the Peruvian government to establish guidelines for dementia care. The impacts of built environment interventions on human health and well-being have been well established, but research studying the effects of the built environment on the well-being and quality of life of people living with dementia and their health care workers are not yet well established, especially in low-income settings. This project has the potential to inform foundational policy in dementia care and the built environment in the Peruvian Amazon.
Publications
View on PubMed
Mentors
