Wall of Senses

Wall of Senses

Encouraging people with dementia to communicate via touch and audio using interactive tiles.

Wall of Senses is an interactive object that is placed on the wall to stimulate people with dementia and allow them to be active in a closed department of a nursing home.

Physical involvement and small exercises are important factors in supporting and activating people with dementia. How do we encourage people with mid- to late-stage dementia to participate?

Our goal is to encourage engagement and physical activity by stimulating the senses of people with advanced dementia. We envision a connected nursing home, where various interactive designs can create personal experiences for residents with dementia. We hope to encourage residents with dementia to participate in a route of engaging and interactive elements and designs throughout the building.
One of these designs is the Wall of Senses, which uses familiar images and sounds to spark curiosity and encourage people to interact with the wall.

Residents can touch and tap tiles to create a particular atmosphere, such as a farm, beach or forest, through sounds, lights and textures. By keeping this ambiance close to the residents' past, beautiful moments or conversations with caregivers and residents can even be triggered. That is why we strive not only to stimulate physical activity with small hand movements and walking activities, but also to create a moment of joy for the residents.

Project details

  • Designers: Marlinne van Roessel, Roy Op het Veld, Yasemin Yașarol, Bi-rong Wang with coach Roy van den Heuvel
  • Period: September 2020 to July 2021
  • Partners: Archipelago Kanidas