In this week’s chapter, our authors Sienna Caspar and Kelsey Berg take a closer look at what it really means to build “dementia-friendly” communities and how those ideas fit within (or sometimes get lost inside) the broader push for age-friendly spaces.
They start with an important question: are dementia-friendly initiatives actually adding something meaningful to age-friendly frameworks, or are they being treated as an afterthought?
To explore this, they shift the focus toward inclusion. Dementia-friendly communities aren’t just about accessibility they’re about recognizing people living with dementia as full participants in society. That means valuing their experiences, supporting their capabilities, and creating environments where they can still live with purpose and connection.
What stands out in this chapter is the push to go beyond surface-level inclusion. It’s not enough to say a community is “friendly” the question is, who actually feels that in their day-to-day life? And are systems designed in a way that reflects the realities of people living with dementia?
The authors remind us that inclusion has to be intentional. If we’re serious about building age-friendly communities, dementia can’t sit on the sidelines it needs to be fully integrated into how we design systems, spaces, and support.
To read more, you can find the full chapter on the Bristol University Press Digital platform.
Imagine Aging 
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