Biography
Mary O’Malley is a Psychology PhD student looking at ways to reduce spatial disorientation for older adults with memory difficulties (supervised by Dr Jan Wiener, Prof. Anthea Innes and Dr Mariela Gaete Reyes).
Using a mixed method approach, Mary is currently running a series of qualitative and quantitative studies to further understand which aspects (e.g. landmarks, floor layout, signage) of communal living environments (e.g. retirement settings, care-homes) are most important in facilitating successful orientation, and how these can be appropriately positioned within the environment. The findings from these studies could help the development and maintenance of communal living environments as well as feed into dementia friendly design principles.
