Journeys to Engagement: Ambient Activity Technologies for Managing Behaviours in Dementia

The objective of this project is to work with an industrial partner (Eclectic Industries Inc.) to design an activity tracker for institutionalized individuals with dementia. In our previous work with Eclectic Industries Inc., we refined and evaluated Ambient Activity Technology (AAT). AAT is a wall-mounted interactive tool (accessible anytime) designed for people with dementia to encourage physical, cognitive and social engagement. The displayed content is meaningful and personalized to the resident (e.g., favourite music, family photos). In the AAT evaluation, we sought to gather activity data; however, due to limitations related to the use of traditional fitness trackers in a long-term care setting (e.g., frequent battery charging, cost), a pedometer was used to track steps taken. This experience highlighted a unique design opportunity. In our current work, we propose to use an iterative design process to develop an activity tracking prototype for use by people with dementia in long-term care.

Faculty Supervisor:

Mark Chignell

Student:

Andrea Wilkinson

Partner:

Keebee Play

Discipline:

Engineering - mechanical

Sector:

Medical devices

University:

Program: