Chopping vegetables for dinner. Hanging out washing. Sweeping the floor... As much as these things are boring chores for most of us, for people living with dementia, they may be a soothing and familiar way to feel useful around the home.

Not everyone living with dementia will be able to take part in these activities in the way they once did. But by determining how they can contribute, even if it is just watching and commenting while someone else does the job, they will benefit.

Of course, if their living situation – whether at home or in residential care – isn't set up to allow them to be involved, it might be time to make some changes.

Using design to make better lives

The Dementia Centre's carefully researched principles for making dementia-friendly spaces include:

• maximising independence
• enhancing self-esteem and confidence
• reinforcing personal identity

These principles feed into a vision for a person living with dementia being able to contribute to daily life, wherever they live.

To achieve these goals, we implement design features that aim to provide scope for ordinary activities.

Here are a few of the design ideas used in our cottage-style accommodation that give opportunities for involvement in day-to-day tasks.

A domestic kitchen at the centre of a cottage

Providing a kitchen that is readily accessible and where meals can be cooked allows residents to get involved as much or as little as they like - whether it's peeling potatoes, or sitting at a bench or just watching.

A working, accessible, domestic laundry

For many people who would have been in the habit of sorting, washing, hanging out clothes for themselves and their families, doing laundry is familiar and a great way to contribute to the running of the home, giving people meaning and purpose.

Letterboxes

Picking up the mail or the daily paper is a big part of many people's daily routine. Providing a letterbox close to the entrance of a cottage or apartment, and putting in the mechanism for mail to be delivered there, can allow this ritual to continue.

Our Dementia Design School recommends a suite of features like these to give people meaningful, familiar activities to take part in, contributing to the running of the home.

By giving people living with dementia the kind of environment that allows for their participation in the ordinary activities of life, we can make every day a better day. That can be life-changing.