Abstract
Dementia is generally considered to be one of the most pressing societal issues now and in the years to come. Although insights from different disciplines have contributed to a better understanding of dementia and the development of interventions targeting dementia symptoms, there is a lack of integration of insights from these different perspectives for the purposes of design for dementia. The aim of this paper is to show how insights from environmental psychology and advances in technology can inform a user-centred multidisciplinary design approach. To this end, first a brief meta-review of (systematic) reviews from the fields of assistive technology for dementia care and healing environments research is presented, after which gaps and opportunities for a multidisciplinary design approach are identified. To illustrate what such an approach could look like, two exploratory case studies are presented in which technology-enhanced prototypes of an experience handrail (aimed at facilitating wayfinding by providing meaningful sensory experiences) and a virtual nature installation (aimed at providing relaxation and stimulating social engagement) were implemented at a Dutch care centre for people with dementia. Preliminary evaluations indicate that these designs contribute to the wellbeing of people with dementia and confirm the fruitfulness of the design approach presented in this paper. Furthermore, this approach may not only provide a means to optimize existing environments and enhance ease of living, but may also lead to novel solutions to the challenges people with dementia face on a day-to-day basis, and improve their quality of life.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 10-16 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Maturitas |
| Volume | 128 |
| Early online date | 28 Jun 2019 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 Oct 2019 |
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Keywords
- Dementia
- Design
- Environment
- Multi-sensory experience
- User-centred design approach
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Environmental design for dementia care - towards more meaningful experiences through design. / Ludden, Geke D.S.; van Rompay, Thomas J.L.; Niedderer, Kristina; Tournier, Isabelle.
In: Maturitas, Vol. 128, 01.10.2019, p. 10-16.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › Academic › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Environmental design for dementia care - towards more meaningful experiences through design
AU - Ludden, Geke D.S.
AU - van Rompay, Thomas J.L.
AU - Niedderer, Kristina
AU - Tournier, Isabelle
PY - 2019/10/1
Y1 - 2019/10/1
N2 - Dementia is generally considered to be one of the most pressing societal issues now and in the years to come. Although insights from different disciplines have contributed to a better understanding of dementia and the development of interventions targeting dementia symptoms, there is a lack of integration of insights from these different perspectives for the purposes of design for dementia. The aim of this paper is to show how insights from environmental psychology and advances in technology can inform a user-centred multidisciplinary design approach. To this end, first a brief meta-review of (systematic) reviews from the fields of assistive technology for dementia care and healing environments research is presented, after which gaps and opportunities for a multidisciplinary design approach are identified. To illustrate what such an approach could look like, two exploratory case studies are presented in which technology-enhanced prototypes of an experience handrail (aimed at facilitating wayfinding by providing meaningful sensory experiences) and a virtual nature installation (aimed at providing relaxation and stimulating social engagement) were implemented at a Dutch care centre for people with dementia. Preliminary evaluations indicate that these designs contribute to the wellbeing of people with dementia and confirm the fruitfulness of the design approach presented in this paper. Furthermore, this approach may not only provide a means to optimize existing environments and enhance ease of living, but may also lead to novel solutions to the challenges people with dementia face on a day-to-day basis, and improve their quality of life.
AB - Dementia is generally considered to be one of the most pressing societal issues now and in the years to come. Although insights from different disciplines have contributed to a better understanding of dementia and the development of interventions targeting dementia symptoms, there is a lack of integration of insights from these different perspectives for the purposes of design for dementia. The aim of this paper is to show how insights from environmental psychology and advances in technology can inform a user-centred multidisciplinary design approach. To this end, first a brief meta-review of (systematic) reviews from the fields of assistive technology for dementia care and healing environments research is presented, after which gaps and opportunities for a multidisciplinary design approach are identified. To illustrate what such an approach could look like, two exploratory case studies are presented in which technology-enhanced prototypes of an experience handrail (aimed at facilitating wayfinding by providing meaningful sensory experiences) and a virtual nature installation (aimed at providing relaxation and stimulating social engagement) were implemented at a Dutch care centre for people with dementia. Preliminary evaluations indicate that these designs contribute to the wellbeing of people with dementia and confirm the fruitfulness of the design approach presented in this paper. Furthermore, this approach may not only provide a means to optimize existing environments and enhance ease of living, but may also lead to novel solutions to the challenges people with dementia face on a day-to-day basis, and improve their quality of life.
KW - Dementia
KW - Design
KW - Environment
KW - Multi-sensory experience
KW - User-centred design approach
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85068268606&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.maturitas.2019.06.011
DO - 10.1016/j.maturitas.2019.06.011
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85068268606
VL - 128
SP - 10
EP - 16
JO - Maturitas
JF - Maturitas
SN - 0378-5122
ER -