Academic Awards 2023 booklet

81 Design for Everyday Sounds in Dementia The number of people with dementia is rising and there is still no cure. Therefore, there is an urgent need for alternative strategies to support people with dementia to live well with their condition. Everyday sounds strongly influence people’s feelings, emotions, and behavior. For example, sounds of nature can make people feel calm and relaxed. This thesis investigated how everyday sounds support the wellbeing of people with dementia and their caregivers. The research in this thesis was conducted by developing and evaluating physical devices or products for people with dementia to play everyday sounds with their caregivers. The results demonstrated how everyday sounds evoke memories, positive emotions, and storytelling in people with dementia. Furthermore, people with dementia were actively involved in the development of the Tumbler: a tangible device to play and interact with everyday sounds at home. In addition, a field study with the Vita sound cushion, provided insights into the role of everyday sounds in dementia care homes, such as stimulating conversations, playfulness, discovery, and social connection between residents and caregivers. This research highlights the previously unexplored potential of everyday sounds and design to enrich the day-to-day lives of people with dementia and their caregivers. Figure 2: The Tumbler is a tangible audio-based interface for people with dementia and their informal caregivers to play everyday sounds at home. The Tumbler was designed with modern aesthetics so it fits in everyday home environments. Figure 3: The Tumbler offers intuitive interactions with personal audio content and soundscapes by stimulating exploration and inviting interactions. The Tumbler avoids complex tasks as users can interact by holding the device in their hands and turning, shaking, rolling, tilting or tumbling it. Figure 1 (Left page): VITA is an interactive sound cushion developed by Pleyade Innovation Team for people with advanced dementia to play meaningful audio content. People with dementia can simply place their hand on a touchpad on the cushion, as the corresponding sound starts to play until the person stops touching it.