The first round of ideas to be developed for the Design Council’s Living well with dementia design challenge have now been announced. The five teams listed below were chosen to share £360,000. The teams will be showcasing the prototypes of their solutions and services early next year and have 20 weeks to develop their ideas.

• Dogs for people with early stage dementia – developing a service that explores the potential of trained dogs in a dementia situation to help maintain independence, dignity, companionship and joy
  (Alzheimer Scotland, Glasgow School of Art (product design) + Dogs for the Disabled)
• A permanently worn discreet wristband to aid dementia sufferers . The product will provide user identification, personal monitoring and emergency alert functionalities via 3D accelerometers and RFID, and will enhance the current buddi telecare system.
  (Buddi + Sebastian Conran associates)
• A web and mobile-based service for carers of people with dementia to help them find work that can be delivered on a time and location flexible basis. This will enable carers to supplement their income and protect their savings whilst also enabling them to stay within the world of work.
  (CREO Strategic Solutions, A+B Studio, FLY Design, FeedHenry)
• ‘ The Scent Clock ‘ – a home scent-device to stimulate appetite and enhance nutritional status in dementia. The device will look to increase the likelihood of eating, reducing the issues of weight loss, dehydration, fatigue and malnutrition that people with dementia experience.
  (Rodd Design, The Olfactory Experience, Gwen Coleman + Crossmodal Research Lab, University of Oxford)
• ‘ Grouple ‘ – a collaborative caring and sharing tool which enable the family to support their relative through easier, accessible communication. Applicable from the point of diagnosis, Grouple will provide online and physical tools to facilitate co-ordinated support.
  (Studiohead, BT Innovate & Design, Louise Wilson, Ifung Lu, Meike Walcha + Jewish Care)

In the video below Professor Alistair Burns, National Clinical Director for Dementia, talks about the joint project between the Department of Health and the Design Council to develop new design-led ideas for products and services that make life simpler and more enjoyable for those with dementia, and for their carers.