Most people living with dementia (PLWD) live in community supported by informal care partners. Continued access to community is a human right, and linked to better physical, mental, and social health. We aim to improve neighbourhoods for PLWD and care partners from a planning perspective, examining wayfinding, infrastructure availability and access, and health/social services. We will do research in small, mid-sized, and large Canadian municipalities examining differences between them, recruiting 5 PLWD/care partner pairs and a ‘control’ older adult living in their neighbourhood. Collecting data using go-along interviews, sketch/social network mapping, travel diaries/GPS tracking every 6 months for 2 years while tracking individual-related changes, we will then use our findings in a co-design workshop with each municipality to make their existing planning policies more accessible. Each workshop will include people with lived experience, planners, urban designers, municipal staff, and our Advisory Committee. We will create and adapt this process together – increasing PLWD’s access to the planning processes that shape our communities.
