356: Rethinking Environments for People Living with Dementia

What makes an environment truly supportive for a person living with dementia — and for their care partners, as well? In this episode, Teepa walks Greg through an evolution of one of her most-used frameworks: the four Fs and four Ss of supportive environments, now expanded to 4+1.The original four Fs ask whether a space feels Friendly, Familiar, Functional, and Forgiving. The four Ss ask whether an environment offers the right Space, Sensory match, Social match, and Surface-to-surface contact. But Teepa kept noticing something was missing — like a hand without its thumb. So she added Flexible to the Fs (because brain change keeps shifting, and rigid environments stop working) and Satisfaction to the Ss (because a space can check every box and still leave someone seeking rather than settling).Teepa also shares how she tested this update with Positive Approach to Care® mentors and trainers in the field before bringing it forward — and why satisfaction must belong to everyone in the space, not just the person living with dementia.If you're thinking about a home setup, a care community, or simply why a loved one seems restless in a room that seems like it should work, this conversation provides practical aspects to consider.In this episode:Why the original 4 Fs and 4 Ss needed a thumbFlexibility as a response to ongoing brain changeWhat satisfaction really means in a shared spaceHow Teepa trials new ideas with the PAC mentor communityWant to take this conversation from framework into practice? Teepa's streaming program Designing a Supportive Dementia Care Environment provides over two hours of room-by-room guidance for setting up a home that works for both you and the person in your care — covering the spaces, routines, and small adjustments that protect quality of life as brain change unfolds.Watch it here: https://shop.teepasnow.com/product/designing-a-supportive-dementia-care-environment-streaming/Learn more about Teepa Snow and Positive Approach to Care at teepasnow.com.Have a topic you'd like Teepa and Greg to explore? Email [email protected] and cc [email protected].#DementiaCare #PositiveApproachToCare #TeepaSnow #CarePartner #PAC