Memoir
Design Brief
To create a device that will help caregivers defuse the situations of anxiety outbreaks from people living with Dementia ages 65 +.
Context
This project was done in collaboration with Baycrest hospital. As we observed people living with dementia in the Mountainview club program (ages 65+), who have mild to severe stages of dementia. We found that some clients are more anxious to leave Mountainview, and require staff members to calm them down through redirection. While effective, it is very taxing on the staff as sometimes there is a lack of knowledge about the client and/or not enough staff members.
Through talking with clients, we noticed they were able to remember memories from long ago. Yet, they have issues retaining short term memories. Clients were really excited to share his or her memories with us. This experience has inspired us to design a solution that helps reduce staff workload and maintains the clients’ positive emotional state and quality of life.
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Impact
Memoir is a personal memory cueing tool that utilizes both visuals and sounds to help people living with dementia recall his or her fondest memories. It also acts as a conversation starter, helping users engage with others through storytelling. Helping people with dementia recall, share, and engage with their memories with other people, overall improve their quality of life. Memoir can also be used as a distraction cueing tool by caregivers to reduce their workload. The quality of the materials and construction of Memoir enables it to be passed down as a memento of the primary user.
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Note: this was a collaboration project with Herc Zhao
Closed
Opened
Features
Picture of intended user.
Speaker for audio cueing. Usually will contain meaningful audio such as songs or a voice of a loved one.
Photo for visual cueing. Usually will contain a picture of something dear to them. Side magnets to hold the clear acrylic plane on.
Magnets for seamless lock
Prototype development
This was the locket version of Memoir AKA a earlier working prototype. This video of this earlier prototype will give an example of what Memoir is capable of.