The LivingMoments device provides a service system that makes communication between people with dementia and their loved ones more tangible and enables a personal way of keeping in touch.
People with dementia who live at home or in the community experience a variety of changes in personality and behavior. In the early to later stages of most dementias, a person may behave differently as individual skills change. This can be distressing for both the person with dementia and their loved ones who care for them. A common behavioral change is that they have fewer social contacts and experience feelings of loneliness. As the skills of the person with dementia change, it may also become difficult to operate devices such as cell phones.
The aim of this research project was to design and test new technological solutions that help people with early dementia to maintain social contacts. As a result, we designed LivingMoments, a communication device that makes contact between people with dementia living at home and their loved ones more tangible. Family members can send messages (which can be photos, videos or voice messages) via an accessible mobile application, after which the person with dementia (and their partner) receives a printed postcard and can activate it on the device to view the vibrant content. The device is now being further developed and tested in practice. The wishes and needs of independently living people with dementia have been the starting point throughout the entire project.
Relevant literature and references
Kolasinska, A., Thoolen, M., Peek, S., Lu, Y., & Brankaert, R.G.A. (Accepted/In press). Co-creating Design Opportunities for Social Technology in the Context of Dementia. In Dementia Lab 2021: Supporting Ability Through Design Springers.