Overview
Individuals who have dementia can face challenges in expressing themselves and their personal history, resulting in insufficient person-centred care and reduced quality of life.
Attune fosters mindful documentation of memories throughout life, enabling joyful experiences and enhanced person-centred care for people living with dementia.
my role:
End-to-end development with my teammate, Claire Henery
timeline:
Sep 2022 - Jul 2023
partners:
Music Mirrors
Dione's invaluable insights helped shape Attune. She is one of 10 people affected by dementia who consulted our team throughout the project.
Research
Our project ran ideation and co-creation exercises with two dementia groups in London, supported by For Brian and Age UK. We also engaged more than 20 different organisations, from charities, NHS, design labs, volunteers, and dementia networks.
We also had the opportunity to volunteer with Age Exchange, where we learnt a huge amount about person-centred care and reminiscence activities. Lastly, designers at Spotify supported and mentored the design process.
02
Trainings on dementia awareness
03
Rounds of prototyping with people affected by dementia
10
10 interviews with people affected by dementia
24
Conversations with industry experts
80
Voluntary hours
Problem
Dementia is the umbrella term for loss of memory, language and problem-solving skills.
Cases are rising globally due to ageing populations, but also many other factors: poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, and chronic stress.
no cure
There is currently
for dementia.
45%
of dementia costs are
care-related
Dementia costs the UK economy £35 billion per year.
This is more than cancer and heart disease combined.
Individuals who have dementia can face challenges in expressing themselves and their personal history, resulting in insufficient person-centred care and reduced quality of life.
“For care professionals my things are just clutter. They don't understand that this clutter holds my whole life.”
- Workshop participant
In this clip, our partner, Heather, talks about how reading her father's old diaries impacted him in late stages of dementia.
Heather then went on to found Music Mirors. It is a digital resource made together with people at an early stage of memory loss linking their life stories to recorded music and sound which enhances person-centred care, stimulating conversation and engagement.
Theory of change
IF
we design a service that scaffolds memories from our younger years and throughout our lives...
SO THAT
people with dementia can access enhanced person-centred care and live autonomously for longer
THEN
this record of our identity and self-expression can enable joyful connections in our lives
Key insights
1
AID SELF-EXPRESSION AND CONNECTION
Our memories shape our identity and help us establish meaningful connections throughout our life. We should promote creation of memory, autonomy and self-expression for as long as possible, not just reminiscence.
2
EXPLORE SENSORY TRIGGERS
Adding multimedia and sensory stimulation to photos adds richness and vibrancy to memory recollection and taps into feelings part of the brain, that remains in tact for people living with dementia.
3
MAKE SENSE OF OUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINTS
People and indeed companies aren't thinking about how our digital footprints can support us in the future for our health & wellbeing. Younger generations now rely on their phones for reminiscence more than physical artefacts.
How might we scaffold memory earlier in life to spark joy and connection later?
Introducing Attune:
Exhibition
Attune was part of the Royal College of Art annual exhibition, held in the Truman Brewery in the summer of 2023.
