Helping outdoor venues and organisations support people with dementia to get outdoors
Yet many organisations – from parks and visitor attractions to care providers using outdoor environments – aren’t sure whether their spaces truly support people living with dementia.
Our site audits help you understand how your people, place, and practices work together – and how small changes can unlock safer, more inclusive outdoor experiences.
The challenge
Organisations often have outdoor spaces but lack confidence in using them inclusively:
- Staff or volunteers may be unsure how to support someone with dementia outdoors
- Environments may unintentionally create confusion, anxiety, or risk
- Risk assessments may focus on restriction rather than enablement
- Outdoor access may rely on individual confidence rather than shared practice
This can limit access to nature – not because it isn’t valued, but because it doesn’t feel predictable or manageable.
How we guide you
Without clarity around both people and place:
- Outdoor areas remain underused or cautiously avoided
- Staff confidence varies, leading to inconsistent experiences
- People with dementia miss out on the wellbeing benefits of fresh air and movement
- Families, carers, and visitors feel uncertain or anxious
- Organisations struggle to evidence inclusive, dementia-aware practice
What should be a welcoming environment can quietly become a barrier.
How we support your people
Our dementia-inclusive outdoor site audits look at how your environment and your people interact in real-world use.
We review your outdoor space
- Routes, surfaces, entrances, and exits
- Wayfinding, sightlines, and potential areas of confusion
- Places to rest, pause, or re-orient
- How the space feels to someone experiencing cognitive change
We Consider Your People & Practices
- Staff and volunteer confidence supporting people with dementia
- Informal behaviours, supervision, and reassurance techniques
- How outdoor access fits into daily routines or visitor journeys
- Where guidance or training would increase consistency
We Explore Risk & Enablement
- How risk is understood and managed in practice
- Where small changes could support dignity, autonomy, and safety
- How outdoor access can be enabled rather than avoided
You receive practical, achievable recommendations – focused on confidence, inclusion, and everyday use, not costly redesigns.
Who needs a site audit?
- Parks, gardens, and green/blue space providers
- Heritage sites, estates, and visitor attractions
- Local authorities and community venues
- Charities and outdoor organisations
- Care settings and support providers using outdoor environments
The difference you'll see
- Staff and volunteers more confident supporting people with dementia
- Outdoor spaces used more regularly and meaningfully
- Reduced risk-avoidance, increased enablement
- Visitors and participants feel safer, calmer, and more included
- Clear evidence of dementia-aware, inclusive practice
Our results
This was a very empowering training - passionate, revealing and realistic.
I will consider using the outdoors much more in my work, something I was planning, but feel I have more confidence in the application”
“High quality, professional, informative and developmental”
Next steps
To find out more about our training and how we may be able to help you, get in touch to book your free 30 minute telephone consultation.
Some of our work
Bradgate Park is a very popular public park close to the city of Leicester in the East Midlands. It covers 850 acres and has special protection status for its ancient trees, geology and wildlife.
Vicky Peet leads Froglife’s Leaping Forward for Dementia project, supported by the City Bridge Trust. The project empowers people living with dementia to access the benefits of nature and the outdoors.
We worked with Methodist Homes Association (MHA) to develop a tailored programme of training to enable their staff to support people living with dementia and families. MHA is a charity with over 75 years’ experience of delivering care and support for older people across the UK.
In 2021 The Caversham Golf Club in Reading chose Dementia Adventure as their Captain’s charity of the year, successfully raising £10,000. The partnership with The Caversham Golf Club was about more than just money. We wanted to leave a legacy of support for people living with dementia in the Reading area.
