degree project

Taylor Hillestad

-what inspired me to pursue my degree project was my grandmother dorothy -she was diagnosed with dementia about 10 years ago, and I always enjoy helping her recollect memories while learning about her past -i have fun looking through photo albums with her and helping her practice remember names of people and places

-she lives at Cerenity Senior Care in White Bear Lake, MN-where i am from -I visit her often, and know the place pretty well since I used to help out there in high school for a job -Sometimes its difcult to carry around lots of photo albums to the residents, and I also wondered if there was another type of activity that will bring the residents closer together. A more personal type of activity. -thinking about an ipad app that will contain memory activities for dementia patients

How can an iPad app that is targeted towards dementia patients at nursing homes help stimulate their personal memories with the help of family and sta!?"

How can an iPad app that is targeted towards dementia patients at nursing homes help stimulate their personal memories with the help of family and staff?!

project goals
-How an iPad can be a valuable tool in nursing homes -Encourage more patient interaction -Learn more about the e#cient ways to express memories in a large database -Using design and typography e#ciently in a system like this to make nursing home residents want to participate -To celebrate the lives of the patients

Project Goals -over the break I talked to the Recreational Therapy Coordinator at Cerenity Senior Care

- She believed my idea of using an iPad is a great idea. -She said the nursing home is actually planning on getting iPads in a few months. I then asked what types of memory games she plays with the residents. She says she plays a matching memory game in where the residents match cards with similar objects, color, or theme, and then they tell a story that relates to their life. Another game they play is finding words that start with a certain letter. They also like the activity of passing a ball around the room and if you have the ball, you are suppose to tell a story. What I thought was interesting was that with all of the activities she plays with the residents, she always tries to incorporate the resents' personal lives in some way. She loves having them share a part of their lives to help them open up. That was good to know since I want this iPad app idea to be personalized.

-when starting to research what is already out there, I didnt nd any ipad apps that are more personlize towards dementia patients, but I did nd other types of tools that inspired me. -memory mats -contain personal photos and content of patient -help spark up conversations in nursing home dining rooms -way to help seniors celebrate their lives and tell their life stories -communication tool -families help customize it and upload content

reminiscing therapy
the process of recalling personal experiences from an individuals past.
-Through furthur researching on these mats, I came about the term that I was looking for to support my reason for doing this. Article by Karen Everett Watson for Providor Magazine stated that Reminiscence therapy (RT) is the process of recalling personal experiences from an individuals past. -its a form of mental stimulation and it works the muscles in your brain with the constant recollection -directs seniors to recall and share events from their past with others, young and old, with the use of their senses Quote from -The Benevolent Society-Reminiscing encourages older people to become actively involved in reliving and sharing their past with others. Although reminiscence involves recalling past events, it encourages the elderly to communicate and interact with a listener in the present."

-benefits: -increases the ability to communicate -reduces depression as it helps them regain their interests -helps cope with aging

iPads

-ipads are getting more and more popular in nursing homes -professors at Wake Forest University in North Carolina concluded that-takes them half the time to gure out an ipad than a computer and mouse The iPad activities resulted in a higher level of Mood and Engagement score than both the traditional activities.

project breakdown
Family Members Patient Other Residents/Sta!

patient i will be designing for will be my gma

project breakdown
4 Parts
1. User Pro$le 2. Family Tree 3. Share 4. Decade

user pro!le
-a#rms who the patients are -reacquires their identity -helps sta! learn too

-based on article by Karen Everett Watson, its important to have something that afrms who the patients are -alzeihmers.com: you need to give the personal a sense of importance, value, peace -shows them a sense of belonging and pride, and reacquire their identity -also, this will help the staff learn who they are more -Article on Therapies and communication approaches, gave tips on what to include in a memory album: -list their full name, place of birth, wedding date, jobs, family, events in chronological order

family tree
-lists out family members

-lists out family members -know where people t in -Fight dementia.org gave helpful tips on how to layout the info-this was more for a memory book layout, but thought it would be useful for an ipad app -Always lable the images to avoid the Whos that response right away -Limit each page with one topic, and just a few images

share
-socialize about past events -vacations, photos, family, events

-Long term memory is the last to go in the timeline of dementia. So patients are more condent when socializing about past events. -they will enjoy sharing stories about themselves and their loved ones St. George Museum stated that the use of objects as props for memories is especially useful when working with people who have dementia -fun to pass around and share photos

decade
-relive happy times -pop culture -music

-relive happy times -discuss favorite music -whole story on music therapy-power of music will unlock memories and feelings -and it doesnt require a long attention span -Alive Inside:How the Magic of Music Proves Theroputic for Patients with Alzheimers and Mentia -how music of Cab Calloway woke up patient-gave him life

timeline
Weeks 1-2 Research Weeks 3 Develop Content Solutions Weeks 4-5 Scenerios/Wireframes Weeks 6-8 Design Week 8 Testing Week 9-12 Re$ne

Weeks 6-8 Design Week 8 Testing Week 9-12 Re$ne

Week 8 Testing Week 9-12 Re$ne

thank you
-I am excited to continue moving forward to develop ways to bring back life to dementia patients and have them recollect thier amazing life