Closer to Nature offers an opportunity for those who cannot leave the care center to have a more connected experience with nature.
Numerous studies have shown the beneficial effects of nature on humans, even the immersive experience of virtual nature can improve hedonic well-being. Despite all the positive effects that nature has on our cognitive, emotional and physical well-being, nature-based interventions are still under-exposed and under-utilized as a strategy for the mental health of people with dementia. As their memory deteriorates, implicit memory is retained, making tactile interaction increasingly important for the dementia group.
This project aims to create an interactive nature experience for people with dementia living in long-term care institutions, where they do not often have access to real nature. We achieve this through a simple tactile interaction: an old-fashioned water pump that pumps real water into an animal feeder, with a live feed from a care farm in the background displayed on an HD screen. As soon as the system detects that a resident of the care center is using the pump, it sends a video feed of the animals being fed. By combining the natural soothing effect of nature with the principles of animal therapy, our project offers an opportunity for those who cannot easily leave the care center to feel more connected to nature, contributing to a better quality of life. The design of the interaction gives the residents a sense of autonomy, self-recognition and fulfillment of responsibility for their care action for the virtual animals. The low threshold and simple interaction make this installation attractive in different stages of dementia.
By investigating the involvement of residents with dementia in this interaction design, we hope to better understand how to design interactive entertainment systems for this group, what is suitable for their reduced cognitive and physical abilities and how to motivate their self-initiative when interacting with the system, to optimize positive effects for the well-being of this group.
In collaboration with Vitalis Berckelhof, a senior center that maintains and improves the quality of life of elderly people with and without dementia, where many dementia patients and nurses spend their time together, we have accessed all levels of insights by collaborating with different stakeholders and real users .
Closer to Nature is currently permanently installed in Vitalis Small-scale Living in Eindhoven for further research purposes.