Bright colours, moving shapes and interactive screens: an interactive, digital wall can bring joy to any paediatric hospital or age care facility. Seeing the sheer elation such an innovation could bring, the question beckons: could this work in aged care?
Using principles of dementia design, we discovered that it was possible to develop content to reach residents living with dementia, who have started to lose certain cognitive or communication abilities, making it perfect for aged care homes, Australia-wide.
An interactive digital wall may cycle through colourful animations, with recognisable shapes or colours. Each animation would intend to be soothing, and visible to residents with reduced eyesight. These digital scenes aren’t just pleasant to look at: they’re engaging and interactive. There’d be koalas to touch, ping pong to play, or snow angels to be made.
As important as it is to bring delight into care, the digital wall seeks to serve three key aims.
Getting social in non-verbal ways
Losing the ability to communicate can be a frustrating and a confusing experience. By opening new methods of communication through technology, we can reduce that frustration. This allows staff, friends, family and even other residents to interact communally in an intuitive and joyful way.
This also creates a new medium for loved ones to re-engage with their relative or friend. Avoiding stilted or repeated conversations, the wall is a topic of discussion. It brings communication alive. Rather than reminding families of loss, the digital wall facilitates a new kind of interaction.
Bringing meaning into activity
Inactivity is a risk with many dementia patients. Keeping resident’s active is key in keeping them healthy and happy. The interactive nature of the digital wall rewards action. Residents are encouraged to walk to it or move with it; it offers something more stimulating than static pictures and is more communal in nature than virtual reality.
Acting as a conduit for activity, the digital wall gives residents something to engage with. This, in turn, reinstates a feeling of utility and connectedness to the world around them.
Remembering and making new memories
For millennia, cultures have used images and stories to preserve knowledge and memories. They utilise the brain’s capacity for visual memory and spatial recollection. Such a multisensory experience empowers residents to create new memories and interactions.
That’s not to overlook the mental benefits of creativity. A novel place, with no prior memories attached, can be the perfect location for new conversations or reminiscence. Colours can spark memories of things, places or feelings. The digital wall is what residents will make of it: serving to spark some reflection and engagement.
This article was inspired by a report written on hellocare.com.au.