In the next 30 years the number of People with Dementia will increase from 3.3 to 8.5 million in North Western Europe alone. Because the supply of care places cannot expand at the same rate as the number of People with Dementia there is a shift by local government to support people remaining at home for as long as possible. This means that in the future more People with Dementia will live longer at home and need more support-products. However, studies show that People with Dementia and their support network do not always know and trust existing solutions. Certification-D then is about defining standards for these products and, through the development of a certification structure, increase confidence in products and support designers and developers in this region in creating better products for people with dementia. The research carried out at Inter-actions deals specifically with the development of design guidelines and the creation of a local Living Lab in Genk.
In the future, the certification body and the regional development of Living Labs within the consortium will form the basis of a European Dementia Living Labs Alliance that is supported and financed by the certification of further products and, post project, it will expand of the customer base to all People with Dementia, who live at home.
Research Unit: Inter-Actions
Duration: 2019 - 2023
Funding: European Union Funding Programme Interreg North-West
Partners:
Dr. Andrea Wilkinson
Dr. Niels Hendriks
Dr. Rita Maldonado Branco
Lieke Lenaerts