About the initiative
We have been working to improve the design of residential aged care accommodation. This is in response to recommendation 45 of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.
The National Aged Care Design Principles and Guidelines were introduced on 1 July 2024. They help guide refurbishments and new residential aged care accommodation builds to ensure they:
- promote independence, function and enjoyment for residents
- support staff in the delivery of high-quality, safe, respectful and dignified care.
The principles and guidelines are:
- based on extensive consultation
- underpinned by strong evidence from our evidence review.
National Aged Care Design Principles and Guidelines
We are now developing guidance on designing culturally safe aged care homes to better meet the needs of older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This resource will complement the principles and guidelines. We have partnered with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities and organisations to co-design the guidance.
Why it is important
The principles and guidelines focus on creating more accessible, dementia-friendly and home-like living environments. This will help improve quality of life for older people living in residential aged care and working environments for aged care staff.
Older people, especially those living with cognitive impairment or dementia, will benefit from well-designed aged care accommodation that is guided by four principles:
- Enable the person – Support people living in a place that maintains their health, wellbeing and sense of identity.
- Cultivate a home – Create a familiar environment in which people have privacy, control and feel they belong.
- Access the outdoors – Support people seeing, accessing and spending time outdoors in contact with nature.
- Connect with community – Encourage people to connect with family, friends and community, continuing to participate in meaningful activities.
Goals
The principles and guidelines aim to:
- guide residential aged care providers when refurbishing and building aged care homes
- improve quality of life for people living in residential aged care and to support safe workplaces for staff
- give older people greater confidence that the aged care home they choose will meet their needs.
Consultation
We have consulted extensively with:
- older people, including those living with dementia, their families and carers
- the aged care sector
- design and technical experts
- peak bodies, health professionals and regulatory bodies.
Consultation activities have included:
- releasing 2 discussion papers and design survey
- conducting interviews and focus groups
- seeking input from aged care providers about the design of their residential aged care accommodation
- releasing the draft and an online form seeking feedback
- running a design ideas competition inviting architects and designers to test and provide feedback on the draft principles and guidelines
Stakeholder feedback has helped us to refine, improve and finalise the principles and guidelines – see what we heard.
Webinar series
Learn how good design can improve aged care homes for the benefit of the people who live and work there. Join our 8-part webinar series on the National Aged Care Design Principles and Guidelines that we are running with Dementia Training Australia.
The series runs from 26 February to 11 June 2026 and covers:
- the benefits of good design
- practical strategies and real-world examples of innovative, dementia-friendly and homelike environments
- designing culturally safe aged care homes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
- ideas for quick, low-cost improvements
- planning for longer-term design changes.
Each webinar includes panel discussions, scenarios, and Q&As with sector leaders, design professionals, and dementia advocates.
This series is for aged care providers, staff, design professionals, and anyone interested in creating better living environments. One session is designed specifically for older people, families, and carers to learn about what good design looks like when choosing an aged care home.
Resources
We have developed a range of supporting resources for aged care providers, design professionals, and older people and their families and carers:
- Fact sheet - for older people, their families and carers
- Fact sheet - for architects and designers
- Fact sheet - for residential aged care providers and staff
- Webinar (with Q&A’s) - Improving aged care homes through design
- Care Home Assessment Tool – a free and easy to use tool to help assess aged care environments against the Principles and Guidelines