Switch2Move: Designing a Tangible Interface with People Living with Dementia for Initiating and Engaging in Music-Supported Exercises at Home

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Dance exercises offer recreational and social activities that engage people with dementia in physical exercise to increase fitness and cognitive functioning. However, there is limited research on how technology supports people with dementia to initiate and engage in music-supported dance exercises at home. We present Switch2Move: a TV-based home system with a tangible interface to trigger music-supported exercises at home for people with dementia. Four people with dementia and their informal caregivers explored a mockup to reveal design improvements for stimulating initiative and engagement. Next, we evaluated a high-fidelity prototype in the homes of three other couples during a one-week pilot study. The Switch2Move home system stimulated initiative by providing ongoing access in the home setting and supported engagement through daily enjoyment, calmness, and relief. We present opportunities for technology to increase self-efficacy, offer rich experiences, and fit the physical and social home environment of people with dementia.