Giving people living with dementia a strong voice: reflecting on the role of design to create enabling activities

This opinion piece questions, reflects on, and highlights some of the challenges that prevent the potential of design being realised in the context of people with dementia to create products and services that do not further stigmatise individuals but that celebrate and tap into the innate resilience individuals possess. We begin by reflecting on the current state of the art in the context of design and dementia and then highlight some of the dangers that an over-reliance on the medical model presents. We conclude with considering some of the ways that designers of the future may wish to learn and draw inspiration from people with dementia and the positioning of dementia as a disability (social model of disability) than purely a disease process

Journeying through dementia: an occupational approach to supported self management

This is a research based intervention for individuals living with a diagnosis of dementia. It was created through a codesign methodology with people with dementia

Assisted Services - Physical support or psychological blow?

Work by Yoxall (2010) and Light (2010) showed that the relationship between artefacts and their use is complex; often beyond mere functional and physical use to a wider psychosocial context. Lack of understanding of this psychosocial aspect of product or service use immediately compromises the product or services design and future success. Further, in attempting to alleviate one issue through improved design we may create others. There is then an inherent complexity in the provision of design solutions that could be specific for each design. That the design process is complex and is involved in attempting to provide answers to 'wicked' problems (Rittel and Weber, 1973) is well understood. However, little work has been undertaken investigating the relationship between design solutions (either artefacts or services) and their effect on wellbeing. To that end the authors have undertaken a number of case studies outlining the complexity of design solutions, the unintended consequences and the effects on wellbeing of the individuals studied. Further the authors attempt to develop enhanced design processes to understand the complexity of the design solutions proposed and improve their effectiveness. The development of this understanding has required an interdisciplinary approach and has been a significant factor in arriving at the recognition of the importance of these psychosocial attachments. Hence this work examines these case studies in detail and examines the benefits and issues of interdisciplinary research activity

HOSPITAbLe: Critical design and the domestication of healthcare.

The challenges society faces in providing future healthcare suggests radical changes to the way health services are delivered and the way we engage with them. There is recognition that this is likely to demand more self-care and a shift of care from hospital to our home. The home and hospital bring together very different cultural practices and environments and the inexorable geographical shift in care has potential to impact on our physical and emotional relationship with our home space. These cultural practices/experiences can be mediated through objects, which in turn can provide vehicles through which to gain understanding of the richness and complexity of people’s lives. The research draws on the value of ‘thinking with things’ as a method and central to this is the notion of exhibition as a research tool that becomes a meeting space that enables this to happen. Exhibition provides a theatre for conversation and becomes the medium and method for data collection and creates the conduit, through which societal assumptions relating to ageing and healthcare care can be made visible, explored and challenged. From a critical design position we propose artefacts through structured engagement with individuals and communities might help develop insights and inform responses to the complex challenges facing current healthcare services

Technology in health and social care: a critical reflection from across two continents

An ageing population, with pressure on health care and social care capacity, is driving demand for innovative solutions to support independence at home. Digital technologies have been proposed as a way to respond to these challenges, and as a consequence, the delivery of care is being transformed. However, in spite of technology being positioned as a panacea to meet the current challenges facing health and social care, a lack of critical discourse around technology use in this context is of concern. Issues regarding user acceptance, role of care technology and setting realistic expectations on what technology can contribute to these challenges have yet to be addressed

A design primer for the domestication of health technologies

Abstract: As the population ages and places increasing pressures on health services there is widespread acceptance that we have to radically rethink how care is delivered. There is a growing body of research that focuses on telehealth to support self-care and a shift of traditional care from hospital to the home environ. This paper explores the culture and practice of health interventions that have previously resided within the domain of the hospital and the implications of this shift when they infiltrate the private space of the home. Research undertaken by the authors using a critical artefact methodology highlights collaborative approaches between design and health are critical to both understand these two disparate environments and that careful consideration is required when developing appropriate new landscapes and paradigms for care. This presents opportunity for design both in developing solutions but also within creative research approaches to understand the complexity of the challenges

Storylistening: why narrative evidence matters for public reasoning and how to use it

As the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated narratives, qualitative or quantitative, can shape, guide and make sense of public policies. However, the way in which the listeners and readers of these narratives receive and engage with them is often taken as a given. By introducing the concept of storylistening, Claire Craig and Sarah Dillon outline how different narratives can contribute to and enhance the use of evidence in policymaking and present a framework for how qualitative and humanistic research can play a key role in this process

Design in the Real world

Social design highlights design-based practices towards collective and social ends rather than predominately commercial or consumer-oriented objectives. In this paper we share staff and students experiences of participating in an interdisciplinary approach to social design and describe the key learning that arose from the implementation of a pioneering approach to the teaching of social design practice on the MA/MFA Design Programme at Sheffield Hallam University. Taking the conference theme holistically this paper highlights the values of situating learning beyond the classroom in real-world contexts. Holism here relates to the recognition that learning is socially situated, that it draws on the individual strengths and resources students bring and that by involving practitioners from different specialisms, learning has the potential to bring about real-world transformation and change beyond the boundaries of the subject discipline. The authors believe that social design has a place in design education as threats including precarious economies, social and financial inequities, global warming, war and mass migration are real-world issues impacting on world citizens and the planet. Opening up the right forums for discussion and experimentation, including the right mix of skills and knowledge to enrich discussion needs careful consideration and facilitation. Our initial work focused on placing social design within a module and employing cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary working and learning. Our current projects widen the learning experience taking place over a year-long period with dual entry and multiple points. This work includes the local City Council, city residents and our DeSIS Lab. Keywords: Holism, social design, student engagement