Semi-annual update 3 – September 2017
Three secondments took place between March and August 2017, allowing the finishing of the data treatment and the definition of the main results. In March, secondments at Fundacion INTRAS (Spain) and Queensland University of Technology (Australia) were in the main part devoted to finishing interview coding and analysing visual diaries.
In May, all the collected and analysed data were brought together during the secondment at University of Luxembourg and Alzheimer Europe (Luxembourg), in order to discuss them and define relevant points for the design interventions from the data to take forward and respond to in the design secondments. The importance of still feeling socially useful, active and having relevant activities despite their diagnosis clearly appeared for people with dementia. These insights were validated during a one-day meeting of the European Working Group for People with Dementia (EWGPWD) that collaborates with Alzheimer Europe.
At the end of these two weeks, the following topics were defined as the main targets for mindful design interventions: needing to be needed (helping others), keeping activities that have a purpose, fear of losing experiences and identity, insecurity and lack of confidence, letting go of responsibilities which are losses, keeping relationships going, coping with the diagnosis, deciding what to do and planning new things, and understanding and negotiating between carers and people with dementia. All these aspects are now a matter of discussion between the designers and architects in order to translate them into concrete propositions/actions.
As planned, WP3 will be closed in October 2017 with the delivery of a scientific report regarding aims, methodology, results and conclusion.