A clutter-free environment may not help people with dementia carry out daily tasks – according to a new study from the University of East Anglia.

Researchers studied whether people with dementia were better able to carry out tasks, such as making a cup of tea, at home – surrounded by their usual clutter – or in a clutter-free environment.

We thought that the complete absence of clutter in our research bungalow would play a beneficial role in helping people with dementia with daily living activities. But we were wrong.

– Julieta Camino, University of East Anglia’s School of Health Sciences

Occupational therapist and PhD student Julieta Camino carried out the study with 65 participants who were grouped into those with mild, moderate and severe dementia.

They were asked to carry out daily tasks including making a cup of tea and making a simple meal, both at their own home and at UEA’s specially designed NEAT research bungalow – a fully furnished research facility that feels just like a domestic bungalow.

The researchers evaluated performance of activities in both settings, and also measured the amount of clutter in the participants’ homes. Meanwhile, the NEAT home setting was completely clutter free.

Julieta Camino, also from UEA’s School of Health Sciences, said: “We thought that the complete absence of clutter in our research bungalow would play a beneficial role in helping people with dementia with daily living activities. But we were wrong.

“We were surprised to find that overall, people with moderate dementia, in particular, performed daily tasks better at home – even though their homes were significantly more cluttered than our research bungalow.”

“And it didn’t seem to make any difference how cluttered the participant’s home was,” she added. “The only factor that contributed to how well they could carry out tasks at home was their level of cognition – with those with severe dementia encountering the same difficulties to perform the tasks at home and in the research bungalow.”

This research received funding from the Alzheimer’s Society and National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration East of England (ARC EoE) programme.

Sian Gregory, Research Information Manager at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “We can sometimes make assumptions about what might help someone with dementia who’s living at home, like de-cluttering so they can concentrate on tasks like making a cup of tea. But, as this study shows, our ideas might not always be right.

“Challenging assumptions is so important for carers to understand how to help someone with dementia to live well in their environment. That’s why the Alzheimer’s Society funds a variety of studies like this one to evaluate what actually works for people living with dementia today, as well as finding treatments for the future.”