MinD visit December 2019 to Luxembourg

2-16 December 2019: Presenting MinD designs at the EWGPWD

This two-week secondment was the last of the MinD secondments to be hosted by Alzheimer Europe. It focussed on two important aspects of the project: 

The first was drawing together the insights and results of the project for academic, public and policy audiences. This includes guidelines for co-designing, i.e. for working together with people with dementia during the design process. It also includes recommendations for policy providers, funders, voluntary organisations, designers and design academics regarding the recognition, benefits and best practices of applying design in the dementia context. All publications will be available from the project website on completion of the MinD project www.designingfordementia.eu

Secondly, and most importantly, Kristina and Kathryn went to Brussels to present to and discuss some of the outcomes of the MinD project with members of the European Working Group for People with Dementia. Following a brief overview of the MinD project, the presentation focused first on the presentation of the “This is Me” board game and the very positive results from the evaluation with people with dementia in four countries UK, Netherlands, Germany, Spain). Kristina then presented the “Living the Life” booklet which includes a set of six simple mindfulness exercises. Together the group explored some of the exercises, first together, then in pairs. One of the exercises about the appreciation of oneself and others through a hug proved very popular. 

The exercises prompted the group to tell about their own rewarding experiences with mindfulness and related training to help in dealing with dementia. The discussion showed how much more common the use of mindfulness had become during the four-year duration of the project.