Don’t forget there’s a person in there.

Memory Care and Memory Support in

an Aging Population
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Design-Directing Behaviors of Alzheimers
and other Dementia Related Conditions

•Disorientation
•Wandering
•Rummaging
•Incontinence
•Perserveration
•Agitation

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Evidence Based Design

EBD is defined by the Center for Health

Design as “the process of basing decisions
about the built environment on credible
research to achieve the best possible
outcomes.”

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Examples of EBD
• Increased light levels and more visual contrast between the table and plate
increased caloric intake by a statistically significant amount.

• Residents experienced 47% to 55% reduction in disruptive behaviors when

in a bright light condition as opposed to a control condition of standard
lighting practices.

• Large patterned and high contrast flooring materials were associated with
greater problems with ambulation (side-stepping, reaching for handrail,
veering while walking)

• A view from the bed to the toilet increased toilet use from 37 uses to 285
uses during the same time period.

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Enter the Fuzzy Front End…
Design-Research methods can access an entirely new set of
data by addressing that unknown fuzzy front end.

EBD
Design Research

If we don’t know what we don’t know,

imagine what we could learn.

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Basic Assumptions in Moving Forward
„ People with varying levels of dementia also have
varying levels of ability to make known their needs and
desires.

„ Identifying what represents comfort to someone who

may not be able to express it adequately in the moment
may help to reduce anxiety and agitation in that person.

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Research Question
How can design-research
techniques assess the
meaning of comfort in
patients suffering from
various stages of dementia?

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Key Concepts
Alzheimers Disease/Dementia

Evidence-based Design

Memory Support/Memory Care

“Culture Change”

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Hypothesis
Design research methods can help
researchers identify what is “comforting”
to patients suffering from various levels
of dementia in order to alleviate
symptoms of agitated behavior.
Potential Resources: senior care organizations (administrators, care givers,
residents, families), AIA Design For Aging, AAHID, multitude of advocacy organizations
(Action Pact, Pioneer Network), research organizations (Center for Health Design, Mature
Market Institute, Healthstream Research), Environments for Aging Conference 2010 and
beyond

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Audience
„ Who participates?
„ Current nursing home elders, staff, families, experts
in the field

„ Who benefits?
„ The Senior Living Community
„ Anyone who is aging.

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Method
Begin with direct observation of Memory Support units from the perspective of both the
residents and caregivers

Lots of contextual research and conversation

Pilot studies using MakeTools with elders of healthy brain function and progressing to
small groups of elders with symptoms of dementia

Full scale implementation of research study with up to 20 elders displaying various levels
of dementia or memory loss

Goal: to identify what represents comfort to

someone with dementia or memory loss

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Thank you.

Candy McDowall
www.candymcdowall.blogspot.com