The Problem
Alzheimer's disease is the 6th leading cause of death in America. Over 46 million people had Alzheimer's disease in 2015, and this number will double every 20 years because there is no cure. Currently, 1 out of every 3 seniors dies with Alzheimer's disease or some form of dementia. Being a designer, I saw this problem as an opportunity to use design to improve the quality of life for people living with this disease.
The process
Literature
An extensive literature review was done first to understand what Alzheimer's disease and dementia are. I also took graduate courses consisting of a theories of learning class, educational psychology, and a human development class to help expand my knowledge of human behavior and cognitive development.
Professionals
I then reached out to the UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging and met with a social worker and Dr. Jicha, who is an Alzheimer's and dementia specialist. Dr. Jicha referred me to multiple assisted living and dementia daycares to volunteer at so could interact with people who have dementia, and experience the disease for myself. I began volunteering every Friday for 9 months at Best Friends, which is an adult daycare for people Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
User Experience
I explained my project to the staff at Best Friends and was able to conduct observations, questionnaires, and focus group interviews with the staff, dementia participants, and other volunteers there. I received approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at UK to conduct research studies. Experiencing the disease by interacting with people who have Alzheimer's or dementia, and by conducting research, I was able to use this information to make appropriate design decisions that met all of the users needs, especially those with dementia for my project.
To view the IRB Research Studies click here.
The solution
Designing to Remember: The impact of environment and product design on Alzheimer's and dementia patients
For my master's project, I was able to combine my knowledge from my initial research, my graduate courses, my own research studies, and through my experience and interaction with those who have Alzheimer's and dementia. All of these experiences helped me to design a dementia village, dementia daycare, and GPS tracking device for Alzheimer's and dementia patients to help improve their quality of life.
Click here to view the full project.
The impact of environment and product design on Alzheimer's and dementia patients