This interior design research study explores the experience of direct dementia-care staff member tasks in relation to the physical environment. The study asked the following questions: 1) Do building elements in dementia-specific long-term care units interact with staff job satisfaction? 2) What building elements of patient direct-care are identified by staff as being helpful on the job and what are identified as a hindrance? 3) What, if any, environmental elements demand more dementia-specific modification? Physical environment assessments were collected, and surveys assessing job satisfaction and tasks relating to the physical environment were administered. Focus groups captured more detailed responses. Results positively support the first research question and also indicate that furniture, floor plan layout, semi-private rooms, break rooms, and bathrooms are themes associated with the second and third research questions. More research in the field is necessary.
","abstract_html":"<p>This interior design research study explores the experience of direct dementia-care staff member tasks in relation to the physical environment. The study asked the following questions: 1) Do building elements in dementia-specific long-term care units interact with staff job satisfaction? 2) What building elements of patient direct-care are identified by staff as being helpful on the job and what are identified as a hindrance? 3) What, if any, environmental elements demand more dementia-specific modification? Physical environment assessments were collected, and surveys assessing job satisfaction and tasks relating to the physical environment were administered. Focus groups captured more detailed responses. Results positively support the first research question and also indicate that furniture, floor plan layout, semi-private rooms, break rooms, and bathrooms are themes associated with the second and third research questions. More research in the field is necessary.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Byal, Margaret E"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"College of Technology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Shinming Shyu","Deb de Laski-Smith","Jean Barnas-Haratsaris"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:13Z","subjects":["Dementia Care","Direct-Care Employees","Environment","Interior Design","Job Satisfaction","Technology and Innovation"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/797","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Shinming Shyu","Deb de Laski-Smith","Jean Barnas-Haratsaris"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Byal, Margaret E"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-03-07T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["College of Technology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Dementia Care","Direct-Care Employees","Environment","Interior Design","Job Satisfaction","Technology and Innovation"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/797"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This interior design research study explores the experience of direct dementia-care staff member tasks in relation to the physical environment. The study asked the following questions: 1) Do building elements in dementia-specific long-term care units interact with staff job satisfaction? 2) What building elements of patient direct-care are identified by staff as being helpful on the job and what are identified as a hindrance? 3) What, if any, environmental elements demand more dementia-specific modification? Physical environment assessments were collected, and surveys assessing job satisfaction and tasks relating to the physical environment were administered. Focus groups captured more detailed responses. Results positively support the first research question and also indicate that furniture, floor plan layout, semi-private rooms, break rooms, and bathrooms are themes associated with the second and third research questions. More research in the field is necessary.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The effect on building elements on direct dementia-care staff job satisfaction"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Shinming Shyu","Deb de Laski-Smith","Jean Barnas-Haratsaris"],"dc:creator":["Byal, Margaret E"],"dc:date.available":["2018-03-07T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This interior design research study explores the experience of direct dementia-care staff member tasks in relation to the physical environment. The study asked the following questions: 1) Do building elements in dementia-specific long-term care units interact with staff job satisfaction? 2) What building elements of patient direct-care are identified by staff as being helpful on the job and what are identified as a hindrance? 3) What, if any, environmental elements demand more dementia-specific modification? Physical environment assessments were collected, and surveys assessing job satisfaction and tasks relating to the physical environment were administered. Focus groups captured more detailed responses. Results positively support the first research question and also indicate that furniture, floor plan layout, semi-private rooms, break rooms, and bathrooms are themes associated with the second and third research questions. More research in the field is necessary.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/797"],"dc:subject":["Dementia Care","Direct-Care Employees","Environment","Interior Design","Job Satisfaction","Technology and Innovation"],"dc:title":["The effect on building elements on direct dementia-care staff job satisfaction"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["College of Technology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:13Z"}