Dementia-Friendly Housing Guide 2026

The Dementia and Housing Working Group has updated the Dementia Friendly Housing Charter (originally written in 2017 and updated in 2022).

This report helps to inform how housing organisations, corporate bodies and sector professionals on how housing, their design and supporting services, can help improve and maintain the wellbeing of people affected by dementia. It offers guidance on delivering a dementia-friendly approach to housing: from planning and design, to management and adapting.

The Dementia-Friendly Housing Guide contains a series of actions and things to think about that housing and related services are encouraged to commit to. These actions can have a huge impact on the lives of people affected by dementia. In particular, to:

• Equip housing sector professionals with information and additional resources aimed at improving knowledge and understanding of dementia so that they work in a way that minimises risks and enhances wellbeing for people living with dementia.
• Explain how and why housing and housing related services can improve the lives of those living with dementia, and their families and carers; and
• Encourage organisations to make or improve existing action plans in order to future proof their organisations and services, and sign up to deliver a number of the actions.

Please consider joining the Dementia and Housing Working Group to continue the conversation around the importance of appropriate housing for people affected by dementia.

To find out more about the Dementia and Housing Working Group, click here, or email the group's Chair, Vanessa Pritchard-Wilkes (Housing 21) at Vanessa.Pritchard-Wilkes@housing21.org.uk.