Interior Design as a tool for dementia care

This book investigates the role of interior design in the enhancement of the effectiveness of Non-Pharmacological therapies for Alzheimer’s disease care. The author presents the conceptual model for an environmental system called “Therapeutic Habitat”, meant as a system of environmental interventions, based on tangible and intangible aspects, products and furniture, objects and services. Its aim is to enhance the well-being of people with dementia and stimulate recognition and interaction with the surrounding environment

Interior Design as a tool for dementia care

This book investigates the role of interior design in the enhancement of the effectiveness of Non-Pharmacological therapies for Alzheimer’s disease care. The author presents the conceptual model for an environmental system called “Therapeutic Habitat”, meant as a system of environmental interventions, based on tangible and intangible aspects, products and furniture, objects and services. Its aim is to enhance the well-being of people with dementia and stimulate recognition and interaction with the surrounding environment

"Feeling at home” for people with dementia in care environments : the role of built environment factors. A critical literature review

ABSTRACT: This review summarises the challenges of applying evidence that built environment factors contribute to people with dementia feeling at home in long-term care institutions. Eighteen reviewed publications are classified into research-focused and practice-focused study. Research-focused studies from scientific epistemology focus on physical environment aspects that influence residents feeling at home in the care institution. Design-focused studies develop specific design strategies based on evidence from research-focused studies. However, there are limitations in transforming research evidence into design practice due to a mismatched knowledge foundation. Future research should consider standing on design epistemology to gain new insights which reflect built environment contributions to the sense of home for people with dementia living in care institutions by Research through Design approach.RESUMEN : La presente revisión resume los desafíos de la aplicación, a la practica del Diseño, de las evidencias que los factores del ambiente construido contribuyen a que las personas con demencia perciban el sentido del hogar dentro de un centro de cuidado de ancianos. Diecisiete publicaciones has sido revisadas y clasificadas según fueran estúdios basados en la investigación, o basados en la practica del diseño. Los estudios basados en la investigación, derivado de la epistemologia científica, se enfocan en los aspectos del ambiente físico que influencian el sentido del hogar en los residentes de centro de cuidado de ancianos. Los estudios basados en la practica del diseño, desarrollan especificas estrategias basadas en evidencia de los estudios basado en la investigación. Sin embargo, en la transformación de evidencia, proveniente de la investigación, en practica de diseño, hay limitaciones debida a discordancia entre conocimiento de base y presentación de la evidencia. La investigación futura podría considerar la posibilidad de situarse en la epistemología del diseño para obtener nuevos conocimientos que inspiren la práctica del diseño mediante el enfoque dela investigación a través del diseño.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Environment as non pharmacological intervention in the care of Alzheimer's disease

AbstractThe physical environment can reduce dysfunctional symptoms and behaviours, if the information needed to understand the environment is embedded in the environment itself. Moreover, the environment is regarded as a therapeutic aid, able to enhance well-being among people with dementia. The actual medical model of dementia care is focused on impairments and lost capabilities; considering these features as the focus of care makes hard to aim at enhancing people's with dementia well-being. Hence, focusing on the experience of living with dementia, enables designers to create care environments that accomplish dementia needs. Methods. Through interview sessions with caregivers and professionals, we delineated a set of design guidelines, for supportive environments tailored for people withdementia. Objectives. The purpose of this study is to analyse how design can promote well-being through the creation of physical environments for people with dementia that are psychologically supportive in order to manag..

Anthropocene and Design. The role of design in the emerging territorial scenarios of concemporary ruins in the Anthropocene epoch

In recent times, the influence of human behaviour on Earth's atmosphere is so significant to suggest the identification of the beginning of a distinct new geological Epoch, named with the term Anthropocene. It would be the last Epoch of the current Quaternary Period (starting 2.58 million years ago), following the current Holocene Epoch (starting 11.700 years ago). Anthropocene could also be read as a cultural concept, related to philosophy, literature and arts; a concept with which Humanities deal with complex questions about the relation between human beings, artefacts, nature and time. As a consequence, this relationship becomes relevant concerning the existing built environment. In fact, Contemporary Ruins (hereby meant as the dismissed, incomplete, and abandoned heritage built less than a century ago) are increasingly recognized as a growing phenomenon, both in terms of increasing numbers of reported case studies, and their rising territorial extensions. Moreover, in the past decades, dismissed buildings where easily reabsorbed through a process of re-functionalization, conversion of use, or physiologically assimilated by nature. Nowadays, these phenomena become visible. These tangible evidences of traumatic events, failures, and transformations, often remain as evident presences, because they are made up of new materials, built in contexts that don’t have the ability to re-metabolize them or because of their huge and growing territorial dimensions. Historically, Design represented the creative engine that generated tools, products, spaces, etc. It was an activity carried on only by few and skilled experts. Today, it seems assuming another direction, a more spread and expanded character. The so-called ‘diffuse design’ refers to design activities undertaken by a growing number of individuals. These actions often lead to large transformations, bringing about big social changes. Apparently, design could be seen as a shared attitude. This attitude is so widespread, expanded and shared that becomes part of the aforementioned cultural model that deals with the fundamental relationships between human beings, nature and time. Accordingly with the three topics outlined, we propose an exploratory paper with the aim to investigate the role of design attitude in the process of intervention on new fragile and complex territorial scenarios due to the growing dimensions of Contemporary Ruins. A critical reflection, supported by the cultural framework of Antropocene’s concept, in which natural elements and results of human activity become elements of the same scenario, complex as homogeneous, on which design actions can be activated, with the involvement of a new designing society

A sense of home for people with dementia in a long-term care facility: A design perspective

The study aims to provide new insights into the approach to the spatial design of homelike dementia care facilities. This paper builds on Molony's (2010) findings that home meaning in care facilities is a process of people-place integration, and then proposes that people living with dementia can accomplish this process through their bodily habit. This research adopted an ethnographic case study approach. Three cases from a long-term care facility were studied by using semi-structured interviews and observations. According to the findings, having a sense of home for people living with dementia can be understood as a process of re-establishing people-place integration through their bodily habits in a long-term care facility. As a result, designers can consider which design features can assist people living with dementia in re-establishing this integration through bodily habit to create home feelings in a dementia care facility

Habitual Activities for People with Dementia: The Role of Interiors in Supporting Their Development after Relocating to a Care Environment

People with dementia have pre-reactive instincts, known as bodily habits, that allow them to continue with habitual activities. According to recent research, continuing and developing habitual activities in care facilities can help individuals with dementia establish a deep-rooted sense of home. Three aspects of developing habitual activity are critical in this process: continuing habitual activities fluidly, incorporating positive interaction into these habitual activities, and carrying out these habitual activities regularly. Based on this foundation, this article discusses how the interior environment of care facilities can support these three aspects of habitual activity for people living with dementia. Three cases in a long-term care facility were in-depth examined by using the microethnography approach. The study produced four themes. These themes emphasize the importance of organizing and managing the interior environment to support dementia residents’ habitual activities. In addition, it emphasizes that caregivers and institutional regulations influence the organizational role of the interior environment

Design Tools

This book aims at encompassing the panorama of design tools being developed, tested and adopted by researchers and professors at the Department of Design of Politecnico di Milano. The tools are organized in a taxonomy that reflects the path of choice of a possible user in need for the right tool for a task to be performed. The taxonomy is based on a formalization of the design process proposed by the authors, which characterizes the Design System at Politecnico di Milano. The book essentially offers two main contributions: an original taxonomy that guides towards the organization of design tools and their usage with different actors; a representative collection of design tools developed within the Department of Design of Politecnico di Milano with specific instructions on how to use them. Design Tools is addressed both to practitioners and academics in the field of design that are interested in getting to know more about the discourse around design tools in general and in particular how this discourse takes a shape within Politecnico di Milano and resolves in usable and shareable tools

The role of built environment factors. A critical literature review

This review summarises the challenges of applying evidence that built environment factors contribute to people with dementia feeling at home in long-term care institutions. Eighteen reviewed publications are classified into research-focused and practice-focused study. Research-focused studies from scientific epistemology focus on physical environment aspects that influence residents feeling at home in the care institution. Design-focused studies develop specific design strategies based on evidence from research-focused studies. However, there are limitations in transforming research evidence into design practice due to a mismatched knowledge foundation. Future research should consider standing on design epistemology to gain new insights which reflect built environment contributions to the sense of home for people with dementia living in care institutions by Research through Design approach

Experience is learning: the Piazza Grace case study

The experiential learning activity presented in this case study integrates embodied processes and participatory practices to enhance sensory-emotional awareness in interior design students and help them understand how to consider the design of spaces from the experience of others, in this instance by bridging the gap between their sensory world and that of elderly people with dementia. Expanding on established sensory-emotional research and theories of experiential learning, the activity is structured across four processes, exploration, participation, interpretation and realisation, each building on the previous one. The role of the teaching team, students’ engagement and participants’ engagement are discussed, and a presentation of outcomes is followed by a summary of findings, including feedback from students. This case study advocates the value of experiential learning in supporting future learning and practices that enable young interior designers to better integrate empathy and diversity in their design