Interior designs


are not only more humane, but also more resilient, sustainable, and effective in practice. Designing for wellbeing requires a


deep understanding of lived experience. It means designing from the perspective of The people who live and work in homes alike, acknowledging that their wellbeing is fundamentally interconnected. Daylight, access to nature, acoustics, materiality, spatial hierarchy, and opportunities for both privacy and social connection all become tools for supporting emotional regulation, dignity, and restoration. At Wetherby, this philosophy has


informed decisions at every scale. The building was conceived not simply as a place where care happens, but as an environment that actively supports the people delivering that care. It acknowledges that care work is emotionally demanding and relational, and that architecture must respond to this reality intentionally rather than incidentally.


Emotional labour in care: why staff wellbeing is not optional Care work is inherently emotional. Supporting residents living with dementia or terminal illness requires sustained emotional presence, empathy, and attentiveness. Over time, care staff often form deep relationships with residents and their families, sharing moments of connection, vulnerability, and, inevitably, loss. This repeated exposure to grief places staff


at significant risk of emotional exhaustion, burnout, and compassion fatigue. These challenges are particularly acute in dementia and palliative care settings, where decline


Care homes are now delivering the majority of end-of-life care


and death are not isolated events but recurring aspects of daily work. High levels of emotional labour contribute directly to sickness absence, staff turnover, and difficulties in workforce retention across the sector. Historically, however, care environments


have rarely acknowledged this emotional burden. Staff spaces are often minimal, poorly located, or treated as secondary to operational priorities, offering little opportunity for reflection, emotional processing, or recovery. Emotional fatigue has frequently been framed as an individual resilience issue rather than a systemic and environmental one. If care homes are now the primary settings


for end of life care, then this approach is no longer tenable. Supporting staff wellbeing is not simply about kindness or morale; it is about safeguarding the sustainability and quality of compassionate care itself.


Learning from lived experience: translating evidence into design In recent years, the Springfield Healthcare team and I undertook a ‘lessons learned’ exercise. This involved liaison with care providers, residents, family members, and staff to understand how the different care environments performed in everyday use. Rather than focusing solely on design


intent or compliance, this process explored how spaces were actually experienced: emotionally, sensorially, and practically by the people living and working within them. These conversations closely aligned with


established research from the Dementia Services Development Centre and the University of Stirling, which position environmental design as a critical non- pharmacological intervention for people living with dementia. Residents and family members consistently described how access to daylight, views of nature and calm, and legible environments reduced anxiety and supported dignity. Staff spoke openly about the possible emotional toll of working in spaces that amplified noise, confusion, and fatigue, particularly in dementia and ‘end of life’ care settings. This exercise demonstrated how relatively


small but carefully considered design decisions can prevent environments from unintentionally making building occupants’ lives more difficult. Participants described how poorly controlled sensory conditions could contribute to distress, which in some settings could be misinterpreted as behavioural or clinical challenge rather than an environmental response. By contrast, environments that are calm, legible, and intuitively organised are experienced as more supportive and humane, reinforcing the importance of addressing these issues through design rather than management or intervention. Crucially, this work reinforced that


good dementia design benefits everyone. Environments that support orientation, sensory regulation, and emotional comfort for people living in them also reduce stress, cognitive load, and emotional exhaustion for staff. Families report greater reassurance and confidence in settings that feel calm and dignified.


Biophilic architecture as therapeutic infrastructure As cognitive capacity changes and verbal communication become more limited, people living with dementia or approaching the end of life increasingly rely on sensory cues, emotional tone, and environmental predictability to make sense of their surroundings. In this context, biophilic


20 www.thecarehomeenvironment.com July 2026


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