Know-Me: A Toolkit for Designing Personalised Dementia Care

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Design Research

Background:

• Personalisation is key to person-centred dementia care.
• Existing design tools may lack specific guidance for dementia care personalisation.
• A need exists for accessible and flexible resources for designers and healthcare professionals.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate the "Know-me" design toolkit for personalising dementia care.
• To provide practical guidance for creating person-centred dementia care environments.
• To assess the toolkit's adaptability and utility for designers and healthcare professionals.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and field research informing toolkit development (Ergonomics in Aging, Co-design, Data-enabled Design).
• Development of the "Know-me" toolkit with a focus on accessibility, flexibility, and engagement.
• Proof-of-concept evaluation using student projects in dementia care design.
• Feature-by-feature comparison with existing state-of-the-art toolkits.

Main Results:

• The "Know-me" toolkit was successfully developed, integrating key design principles.
• Evaluation demonstrated the toolkit's flexibility, with potential for use by care teams.
• Comparative analysis identified strengths and weaknesses relative to other toolkits.

Conclusions:

• The "Know-me" toolkit is a valuable addition to resources for designing personalised dementia care.
• The toolkit offers practical and adaptable support for professionals in the field.
• Further research can explore broader implementation and impact of the toolkit.