The 2024 Alzheimer Europe Yearbook, " Independent living and housing", presents the findings of our recent work examining the situation in European countries, with regards to how policies address independent living and housing in relation to people living with dementia. The report highlights the situation in countries across Europe, including good practices and resources.
The report found that countries support the concept of independent living through policies related to dementia, older people and /or disabilities, amongst others, even where they do not specifically reference independent living. Additionally, the report highlights that health and social care services, as well as broader social supports, were vital in maintaining the wellbeing of people with dementia, helping them to remain active within their communities.
In relation to housing, no countries identified specific housing strategies which specifically addressed the needs of people living with dementia, for example, the need to design and build more specially-adapted housing. Whilst the Yearbook found that there is support available across most countries for individuals to make adaptations to their home, it was disappointing to see that there is more limited support available for new technology to support individuals to remain at home, with technology often limited to telecare services and alarms.
Scroll down to the end of the page to download the .pdf version.