91ĹÝÜ˝

Janissa Altona is a visiting researcher at 91ĹÝÜ˝, contributing to the DemSCAPE project, as part of an international collaboration on dementia-friendly communities.

Based at the University of Bremen in Germany, Altona is a research associate and PhD candidate at the Institute of Public Health and Nursing Research (IPP), where her work bridges public health, nursing, and urban design.

Altona’s focus on dementia began during her master’s thesis, where she studied psychosocial interventions for people living with dementia. “This experience sparked my interest in the topic, and I knew I wanted to explore it further during my PhD research,” she says. “The more I learned, the more I realized how important and meaningful this field is, both academically and in terms of improving quality of life for those affected.”

Her current research explores how neighbourhood design influences the lives of people with dementia. “My PhD research focuses on the influence of the neighbourhood-built environment on the social health and cognitive functioning of people living with dementia,” she explains. By exploring environmental characteristics, she investigates how walkability, green spaces, and access to social places can support people in staying active, socially connected, and mentally engaged. “A key part of my work involves developing new methods to measure these dementia-friendly environmental features more effectively.”

One assumption Altona’s work challenges “is that dementia can only be addressed medically and that social isolation is unavoidable,” she explains. Her research shows that supportive environments—both physical and social—can counteract social isolation and improve day-to-day life.

This perspective has also shaped how she thinks about aging more broadly. “Through my research, I’ve come to see aging—and even living with dementia—not just as decline, but as something that can be shaped by our surroundings,” she says. “With the right environments and support, it’s possible to maintain social connections and quality of life much longer than people expect.”

While her work focuses on the built environment, Altona notes that the human side of community is just as vital. “While small things in the environment can help, it’s often the people in the neighbourhood (e.g., neighbours, shopkeepers, familiar faces) who make the biggest difference in daily life, even more than the built environment itself.”

At SFU, Altona is collaborating with Dr. Habib Chaudhury as part of the DemSCAPE project, which focuses on environmental factors that support people living with dementia. “I’ll be part of the data evaluation and have the opportunity to learn new research methods,” she says. “As a visiting researcher from Bremen with a very similar PhD topic, this stay supports joint research collaboration, knowledge exchange, and networking opportunities—all of which help broaden my perspective on dementia-friendly neighbourhoods.”

Looking ahead, Altona is focused on creating practical change. “I hope my research will help shape more dementia-friendly communities in Germany and beyond by providing practical tools and guidelines that planners and policymakers can use to support social participation and quality of life for people living with dementia.”