Creating with Care: Co-Designing Immersive Experiences through Art-Making with People Living with Dementia

Research Background and Issues

• Identified Problems or Challenges: The authors point out that current technologies designed for dementia care primarily focus on compensating for cognitive decline, with less attention given to the humanistic needs of dementia patients, such as emotional experiences, personalized expression, and social interaction. Additionally, the design process often positions dementia patients as passive recipients rather than active participants. Furthermore, existing technological solutions exhibit significant shortcomings in terms of cultural sensitivity and diversity.
• Importance: Dementia affects over 55 million people globally, stripping them not only of memory and cognitive abilities but also of their sense of identity. This impact necessitates technological innovations that not only support care but also integrate deeply with the lived experiences and emotional needs of dementia patients.
• Limitations of Related Work: Although significant research has been conducted in the fields of co-design and virtual reality (VR), these projects often neglect the direct involvement of dementia patients or fail to fully explore how technology can integrate with dimensions such as art, culture, and perception to support personalized and diverse experiences.

Solution

• Proposed Approach or Solution: The authors propose a new framework centered on "creative care," combining artistic creation with participatory design to develop immersive VR experiences closely tied to the lived experiences of dementia patients. This approach uses creative arts as a primary medium for fostering self-expression and cognitive connections, while also incorporating trust-building, emotional care, and cultural sensitivity.
• Innovative Aspects: The innovation lies in transforming artistic creation from a tool into a medium that permeates every stage of design and implementation. This approach not only supports emotional expression but also helps patients reaffirm their sense of identity, avoiding a narrow focus on technology or cognitive training alone. Additionally, the method explores how sensory experiences (e.g., sound, visuals, touch) can enhance personalized interactions, further integrating technology into holistic care processes.
• Implementation Steps and Key Techniques:
  1. Workshop Phase: Dementia patients and artists collaboratively designed tangible physical models ("places of meaning") incorporating visual, tactile, and auditory elements to reflect participants' memories and emotions.
  2. Soundscape Design: Customized recordings (e.g., ocean waves, bird songs) were created to deepen memory and emotional connections.
  3. Transition to VR: The physical designs were digitized, and immersive virtual environments were created using the Unity engine, preserving participants' original work and emotional expressions as much as possible.
  4. VR Experience Testing: Participants explored the virtual environments they helped design using Meta Quest 2 headsets, followed by semi-structured interviews to discuss their experiences and emotional impacts.

Research Findings

• Specific Outcomes:

  • Dementia patients were able to express emotions through artistic creation, gaining a sense of self-identity and social connection.
  • The created VR environments enhanced participants' sensory interactions and emotional connections.
  • This approach demonstrated the potential for dementia patients to actively participate in technology design, challenging the traditional model of positioning patients as passive recipients.

• Comparison with Existing Solutions and Advantages:

  • The integration of art into the framework makes the solution more human-centered, fostering connections to memory and emotion, which surpasses technologies that focus solely on cognitive training or structured interventions.
  • Participatory design increased dementia patients' sense of agency and belonging during interactions with technology, a capability often lacking in many existing solutions.

• Experimental or Evaluation Results:

  • The "future places" created by dementia patients using photos, sounds, and other elements were recreated in VR environments. Most participants provided positive feedback, noting that the experience enhanced their emotional positivity, sense of belonging, and connection.
  • The VR experience also inspired some participants with creative ideas for the future, such as 3D creations or art projects within the simulated environment.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  • Limitations: The study primarily focused on patients in the early to mid-stages of dementia, leaving the needs of late-stage dementia patients underexplored. Additionally, participants experienced the VR environment only once, which limited the ability to capture long-term effects.
  • Future Directions:
    • Extend the approach to later stages of dementia to explore the impact of lifelong personalized design on advanced-stage patients.
    • Incorporate more culturally sensitive elements to accommodate diverse cultural backgrounds and groups.
    • Investigate how virtual reality can be combined with other sensory devices to design more flexible, comprehensive experiential systems for dementia care.

This research opens new pathways for dementia care, demonstrating that through "creative care" and artistic design, technology can transcend mere functional applications to provide meaningful and valuable support for dementia patients.