Design Recommendations for Recreational Systems Involving Older Adults Living With Dementia

As the population ages, an increasing number of people will be diagnosed with dementia. Studies have found that insufficient activities are offered in memory care units to people with dementia, even though people benefit tremendously from participating in recreational activities. Information and communication technologies (ICT) can potentially facilitate activities in this setting, yet there is little guidance for designers to develop systems that can support people with dementia in engaging in recreational activities. To fill this gap, recommendations were generated through fieldwork and refined in two rounds of expert feedback. Areas covered include hardware, content, applications, and navigation. Systems should be usable by people with dementia, in addition to staff, to counter disempowerment by not enabling people to use their full abilities. In addition, a diversity of materials is needed to appeal to individuals with dementia who have widely varying backgrounds, abilities, interests, and preferences.