A fragrance-release system designed to stimulate appetite,specially-trained"guide dogs for the mind,"and an intelligent wristband that supports people with dementia to stay active safely,are just some of the design prototypes to help people live well with dementia unveiled by Care Services Minister Paul Burstow at the Design Council today.
The ground breaking designs will help to achieve some of the commitments the Prime Minister recently announced in his challenge on dementia.
The Design Council,in partnership with the Department of Health,ran a national competition to find teams of designers and experts who could develop new ideas to help improve the lives of those affected by dementia.Guided by in-depth research and working with those affected by dementia,the five teams developed the innovative concepts for products and services.The resulting prototypes will be further tested and developed with commercial partners with the aim of making some or all of them available on a large scale as soon as possible.
"A consequence of an ageing population is a threefold increase in dementia over the past twenty years,"said David Kester,Chief Executive of the Design Council."That means there are many millions of people who need new products and services designed to meet their changing needs.This project demonstrates that if you put the people who are living with dementia,including carers,at the centre of the design process,you end up with rapid and inspiring innovation.It's just what we need right now–both for our local communities and for UK enterprise."
The five designs unveiled today are:
BuddibandA wristband personal alarm that people will be happy to wear and can send alerts from anywhere to buddi's support services.The buddiband is comfortable,discreet and waterproof.To avoid battery replacement and daily charging,it is fitted with the most powerful possible rechargeable battery and designed to be as power-efficient as can be.
While wearability is its greatest innovation,the device also offers more functionality than any other on the market:
-Manual emergency alert:Responses handled by buddi's 24/7 emergency response centre.-Automatic fall alert:If a user has a fall the wristband detects it and calls for assistance.-Lifestyle monitoring:Detecting shifts in typical activity levels.If a user's activity levels significantly diminish,contact is made with the user or carer.-Online monitoring:Allowing carers to keep an eye on activity levels without being present.-A host of further features
Dementia DogA service providing assistance dogs to people with dementia,helping them lead more fulfilled,independent and stress-free lives.
The dogs will be taught to support existing patterns of waking,sleeping and eating for people with dementia.Through responding to sound alerts they can also help with regular hydration,medication and toilet use.In the early stages,reminders may not be necessary,but if they begin immediately it will mean the routine is established when the need arises.Dogs can also be trained to provide orientation outside the home.
People with dementia can have widely differing needs,depending both on their symptoms and their individual lifestyles.The service takes account of this,employing service design user research methods to build a detailed picture of each individual's needs so the dog can be trained appropriately.Ultimately,each dog will be trained with the person with dementia and their carer so all three can operate as a team.
GroupleA secure,private online social network helping people share the responsibilities of caring for someone with dementia,including visits,appointments,observations and questions.
At the centre of each Grouple hub is a timeline.Members can post items such as visits,appointments,observations and questions,quickly seeing and filling in gaps in the schedule.Care decisions can easily be discussed and informed by everyone's observations.Printed reports can also be created based on timeline content.This will assist medical professionals and help update family members who are offline.
Many carers are uncomfortable with computers,so Grouple has been designed to be as simple,attractive and intuitive as possible.Members of a care network easily post their schedules,ideas and experiences of caring,dividing responsibilities and coordinating efforts to provide consistent and regular care without one single person being overburdened.
odeA fragrance-release system designed to stimulate appetite among people with dementia.The mains-powered unit releases three food fragrances a day,adjustable to coincide with the user's mealtimes.
Scents have been developed specially for ode,in conjunction with a leading fragrance laboratory and in response to workshop feedback.Users can choose their preferred scents at installation.Fragrances are released in short sharp bursts,acting as a strong appetite trigger and then dissipating rapidly so users won't become inured to the effect.
A subtle light indicates the device is working and also communicates when fragrances need refilling.
Trading TimesAn online service that matches carers with local businesses for flexible paid work.It is free to carers and paid for on a transactional basis by employers.
The Trading Times website will provide a rich and supportive environment with a full range of tools and templates to assist both carers and employers.These include an email helpline,carer chat forums,success stories and a guidance library.Carers and employers will also be able to add performance-related feedback to each other's profiles.
Carers will complete a simple profile describing their work skills and enter the number of hours they think they can work.A local community manager will welcome every new carer with a telephone call to help them on their way.Employers will either post short job adverts or search for local carers with relevant profiles.
