Reciprocal design: inclusive design approaches for people with late stage dementia

ABSTRACT

More people, than ever before, are living into advanced old age. As a result, incidences of age-related, non-communicable disease such as dementia will increase. Dementia is an umbrella term for a range of conditions that impact cognitive and physical functioning. It is terminal. Scientific communities continue to search for a cure. Meanwhile, attention is increasingly being refocused, exploring what it means to have a good quality of life and how to live well with dementia, regardless of the stage of the disease. Design has an important role to play in supporting quality of life of people living with dementia. However, designers need to take into account the many varied contexts in which people live, the different manifestations of the disease, and individual wants, needs and preferences. Co-creative approaches can enable people living with dementia and stakeholders in their care, to engage in the design process and impact products and services made for them, provide opportunities for social engagement, interaction and pleasure, and give designers insights into the embodied experience of living with dementia and the social and cultural impact. This paper discusses a participatory design research project with people living with advanced dementia in residential care facilities in Australia.

KEYWORDS:

• Design for dementia
• reciprocal design
• inclusive design
• fun
• bridging

Acknowledgments

The author wishes to acknowledge the support of Karn Nelson, Tess Tatarakis, Sandra Osborne and their team of staff and volunteers, and the designers engaged on the project: Annemarie Zijlema, University of Technology Sydney, Researcher/Designer Laura Ramos, University of Technology Sydney, Researcher/Designer Vanessa Morgan, MBPS and Assoc MAPS, Researcher/Designer Angela Caro Aristizabal, Researcher/Designer Nicola Charlesworth, Designer Natasha Boyle, Designer Rosa Miller, Designer Daniel Flynn, and Designer Nerine Martini.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. The term and format of the ‘Meet up’ is borrowed from DIY culture, ‘Hack’ spaces, and Maker Faires(Gauntlett 2011; Jenkins 2006).

Additional information

Funding

The project was funded by The Whiddon Group.

Notes on contributors

Gail Kenning

Dr Gail Kenning is a researcher at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Honorary Reader in Design for Ageing and Dementia at Cardiff Metropolitan University, and Design United Visiting Fellow at Eindhoven University of Technology. She explores how creative activity contributes to positive wellbeing through social engagement, co-design and design research.