International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Concept Paper Designing Supportive Soundscapes for Nursing Home Residents with Dementia Paul Devos 1,* , Francesco Aletta 1,2 , Pieter Thomas 1 , Mirko Petrovic 3, Tara Vander Mynsbrugge 4, Dominique Van de Velde 4,5, Patricia De Vriendt 4,5 and Dick Botteldooren 1 1 Department of Information Technology, Ghent University, 9052 Ghent, Belgium;
[email protected] (F.A.);
[email protected] (P.T.);
[email protected] (D.B.) 2 Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering, University College London, London WC1H0NN, UK 3 Department of Internal Medicine and Paediatrics, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;
[email protected] 4 Department of Occupational Therapy, Artevelde University College, 9000 Ghent, Belgium;
[email protected] (T.V.M.);
[email protected] (D.V.d.V.);
[email protected] (P.D.V.) 5 Department of Occupational Therapy, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium * Correspondence:
[email protected] Received: 31 October 2019; Accepted: 28 November 2019; Published: 4 December 2019 Abstract: Sound and its resulting soundscape is a major appraisal component of the living environment. Where environmental sounds (e.g., outdoor traffic sounds) are often perceived as negative, a soundscape (e.g., containing natural sounds) can also have a positive effect on health and well-being. This supportive effect of a soundscape is getting increasing attention for use in practice. This paper addresses the design of a supportive sonic environment for persons with dementia in nursing homes. Starting from a review of key mechanisms related to sonic perception, cognitive deficits and related behavior, a framework is derived for the composition of a sonic environment for persons with dementia.