Designing for wellbeing in late stage dementia

Abstract

This paper presents research that is developing new ways of supporting the wellbeing of people with late stage dementia through the development of playful objects. The LAUGH project is an international AHRC funded design research project that is using qualitative and participatory approaches to inform innovative concepts for new playful artefacts to stimulate fun, joy and in the moment pleasure for people living with dementia. The research is partnered by Gwalia Cyf and supported by Age Cymru and Alzheimer’s Society, including people living with dementia from their Service User Review Panels (SURP).

Data presented is informed by three pre-design development workshops in which a multidisciplinary group of experts in the fields of dementia care and design have contributed their professional experience. This paper specifically focuses on data from the third of these workshops exploring procedural memory in relation to hand-use and craft making.

This paper contends that hand-use, gesture and haptic sensibilities can provide access to procedural and emotional memories, which are retained even into the late stages of the disease. Craft and making activities learned in earlier life, provide rhythmic patterns of hand activity that can enhance wellbeing by supporting in the moment sensory experience, competency and reaffirmation of personhood. Playful activities provide a person with dementia freedom to explore, learn and have positive experiences even when cognitive function and memory recall is severely impaired.

Future planned workshops will see the iterative development of prototype designs and their evaluation in ‘live labs’ with people living with late stage dementia.