This installation draws on the positive effects of animal and nostalgia therapy by offering a suggestion of closeness to nature. Featured at the annual Dutch Design Week 2015 and presented at a BrandDoctors Trend event.
Dementia is a serious degenerative neurological condition that affects cognition and memory. Depression and anxiety often accompany Dementia. As their explicit memory deteriorates, implicit memory remains, so tactile interaction becomes increasingly important to people with Dementia.
This installation aims to offer a richer living environment to people with Alzheimer’s disease living in care facility, through suggesting a connection with nature. We achieve this through a simple tactile interaction; a water pump that pumps real water. The concept consists of a high definition screen that continuously sends a live feed of a rural location. This will allow the residents of the care home to gain implicit information about the weather, time of day and season of the year. Once the system detects that a resident of the care home is interacting with the pump, it sends a video feed of the animals being fed. This interaction suggest a kind of caring action or fulfillment of responsibility which might give a resident a positive self image. Due to the low engaging threshold and the simple interaction this installation should be attractive in several stages of dementia.
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| Project Design Duration: January 2015 – June 2015 |
| Dutch Design Week preparations Duration: August 2015 – October 2015 |
| Designer: Carlijn Valk |
| Dutch Design Week Realization Team Members: Xu Lin, Jun Hu, Loe Feijs |
| Client: Vitalis |
| Read my Final Report here |
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