There has been little systematic research into the design of care environments
for older people. This article reviews empirical studies from both the
architectural and the psychological literature. It outlines the instruments that
are currently available for measuring both the environment and the quality of
life of older people, and it summarises the evidence on the layout of buildings,
the sensory environment and the privacy of residents. The conclusion is drawn
that all evidence-based design must be a compromise or dynamic and, as
demands on the caring environment change over time, this compromise must
be re-visited in the form of post-occupancy evaluation.