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

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..

Experimental realization of a measurement conditional unitary operation at single photon level and application to detector characterization

Our last experimental results on the realization of a measurement-conditional unitary operation at single photon level are presented. This gate operates by rotating by $90^o$ the polarization of a photon produced by means of Type-II Parametric Down Conversion conditional to a polarization measurement on the correlated photon. We then propose a new scheme for measuring the quantum efficiency of a single photon detection apparatus by using this set-up. We present experimental results obtained with this scheme compared with {\it traditional} biphoton calibration. Our results show the interesting potentiality of the suggested scheme.Comment: to appear in Proc. of SPIE meeting, Denver august 200

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

Absolute Quantum Efficiency Measurements by Means of Conditioned Polarization Rotation

We propose a new scheme for measuring the quantum efficiency of photon counting detectors by using correlated pho-tons. The measurement technique is based on a 90 rotation of the polarization of one photon member of a correlated pair produced by parametric down-conversion, conditioned on the detection of the other correlated photon after polarization selection. We present experimental results obtained with this scheme