The role of everyday sounds in advanced dementia care
Houben,M. Brankaert,R. G. A. Bakker,S. Kenning,G. Bongers,I. M. B. Eggen,B.
Houben,M.
Brankaert,R. G. A.
Bakker,S.
Kenning,G.
Bongers,I. M. B.
Eggen,B.
Abstract
The representation of sounds derived from everyday life can be beneficial for people with dementia by evoking memories and emotional responses. Despite this potential, integrating sound and sound-based interventions in care facilities has not received much research attention. In this paper, we present the findings from a field study that explored the responses of 19 people with advanced dementia to a selection of everyday sounds presented to them in a care home and the role of these responses in the care environment. To study this, we deployed Vita, a 'pillow-like' sound player, in two dementia care facilities for four weeks, during which observations were recorded. Afterwards, we conducted interviews with caregivers who used Vita in everyday care practice. Our findings reveal how everyday sounds provided by Vita stimulated meaningful conversation, playfulness, and connection between residents and caregivers. Furthermore, we propose design implications for integrating everyday sounds in dementia care.
Description
The conference was canceled because of the corona virus. Funding Information: This study was part of the ‘Everyday Sounds of Dementia’ project, funded by ZonMw in the Create Health Program, under project number 443001122, and partly funded by STW VIDI grant number 016.128.303 of The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). We want to thank the participants, the care staff and care organizations Archipel and Pleyade for their involvement in this study.
Date
2020
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Publisher
Research Projects
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Keywords
care home, dementia, design, everyday sounds, soundscapes
Citation
Houben, M, Brankaert, R G A, Bakker, S, Kenning, G, Bongers, I M B & Eggen, B 2020, 'The role of everyday sounds in advanced dementia care', Paper presented at CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Honolulu, HI, United States, 25/04/20 - 30/04/20. https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376577