The new tool aids the collection of reliable information on the strengths and weaknesses of public and commercial buildings. This information is likely to be of use in the refurbishment of these buildings to improve their support of people with dementia as they use them in their daily life.

Objective To develop an environmental audit tool suitable for use across the spectrum of people with dementia. Method The existing Environmental Audit Tool was supplemented with items describing the environmental needs of people in the final stages of dementia. Two independent raters assessed 30 aged care homes using this draft tool and the Therapeutic Environment Screening Survey for Nursing Homes (TESS-NH). The Environmental Audit Tool-High Care, comprising eight sub-scales with acceptable levels of internal reliability, was constructed. Validity was assessed against the TESS-NH and the EAT-HC's ability to differentiate units specifically for people with dementia from other residential care units. Results The EAT-HC sub-scales' inter-rater reliability (ICC) ranged from 0.52 to 0.92. Correlations with the TESS-NH were highly significant. The EAT-HC total score differentiated between dementia-specific homes and others. Conclusion The EAT-HC can validly and reliably assess environmental features required by a wide range of people with dementia. Disciplines Medicine and Health Sciences | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Purpose The use of the media in live cases has been explored in terms of its use and value to an investigation. However, it is unclear as to whether engaging with the media in cold-case investigations results in a positive or negative reception, and what impact this can have on a case’s possibility for progression. Because of the passage of time and a lack of, or a failed, prosecution means that the approach to media use needs to be different. The purpose of this paper is to explore how the media could be used as an investigative resource for cold cases. Design/methodology/approach This study is a result of a 7-month observation period with a 2-force collaborative cold-case team in England, and supplemented with interviews with 12 experienced cold-case detectives. Using inductive thematic analysis, the themes identified allow an exploration of detectives’ use of the media and the effect that this has on progressing cases. Further, there is discussion as to whether the media’s involvement is positive or negative. Findings The overarching theme is that when using the media, cold-case detectives are met with a positive reception and interest. The media can be used to obtain information, particularly in cases with minimal information, and it is important to use murder-anniversaries to obtain help from the public. However, this needs to be a carefully managed strategy as the media coverage can be negative, including inaccurate or inappropriate reporting which can be of detriment to the investigation. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first paper to explore how cold-case detectives have used the media to progress cases, and the findings demonstrate that when the public are encouraged to come forward with information, there is a better chance of case progression. Further research is required to explore how all cold cases can receive appropriate coverage.

No abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to translate the Environmental Assessment Tool–Higher Care (EAT-HC) into Japanese and validate its use in small-scale group living facilities in Japan. Background: Environment of a facility is shown to improve its residents’ quality of life (QOL). Japan’s “welfare-based nursing homes for the elderly” are gradually shifting to a small-scale group living concept called group care units (GCUs). However, there is no appropriate environmental tool available for evaluating GCUs. The application of valid environmental assessment tools brings about a better understanding of the nature of good environments and the relationship between environments and outcomes for residents living with dementia. Methods: The study had a mixed method design conducted in several steps, covering translation and adaptation. The translation phase involved (1) forward translation and (2) backward translation. The adaptation phase involved (3) content validity and homogeneity reliability and (4) concurrent validity and interrater reliability. Results: 71 Items (92%) met the acceptable level of content validity (item-content validity index [CVI] > .79) and had good scale-CVI of .88. Concurrent validity was confirmed between .65 and .78 ( p < .001). For reliability test, the internal consistency of six subscales was between .88 and .98. Overall interobserver agreement was 90.3%. Intraclass correlation coefficients were .80–.98 ( p < .001), and homogeneity reliability coefficient for all items was >.76 ( p < .01). Conclusions: Validation of the EAT-HC-Japanese Version (EAT-HC-JV) was confirmed as an appropriate tool for environmental assessment to enhance the QOL in Japan’s GCUs. For future study, we plan to modify the EAT-HC-JV to adapt to Japanese cultural aspects in order to increase its usability in Japan.