Project Office Leeds

aae Project Offices Forum Tuesday 10th September 2024 09:30-17:30 The Farrell Centre, Newcastle University Tickets: ncl.ac.uk/apl/events/ite… £60 includes Conference Dinner from 7pm Come along!

@_JeremyLeclercq @boom_saloon @josephoates0 @GerakdK1063 Very much agreed!

@boom_saloon @_projectoffice @josephoates0 @GerakdK1063 Thank you for having us @boom_saloon. It has been a pleasure!

As we draw today's #boomdialogue to a close, we want to thank all who took part – in particular @_projectoffice @josephoates0 @_JeremyLeclercq @GerakdK1063. To further support our work to rewrite the story of dementia, please consider becoming a member: boomsaloon.com/membership/

@boom_saloon @josephoates0 @_JeremyLeclercq @GerakdK1063 Thanks everyone. Really enjoyed today's discussion. Check out the full article underpinning our thoughts; boomsaloon.com/how-do-you-des…

@boom_saloon Absolutely. Everyone involved and connected needs to contribute. Especially re @GerakdK1063 comments about different stages

@_projectoffice Would you agree that the wellbeing of family/ friends/ carers is also a valid point of measurement?

To draw the discussion to a close, the final question we’d like to pose is how do you measure the effectiveness of your design intervention? @_projectoffice, what are your thoughts? #boomdialogue #dementia

@boom_saloon Ultimately, the effectiveness of any dementia treatment is determined by improvement in an individual’s symptoms and overall wellbeing.

@boom_saloon Partly this is due to architecture and the construction industry not utilising social sciences and qualitative research. If we begin to interview all involved, asking for their narrative account, we will begin to learn what is needed and what we don’t know

@GerakdK1063 @boom_saloon Interestingly Gerry, that was @josephoates0 starting point, based on his Grandma's experiences.

@_projectoffice @boom_saloon People living with dementia in my experience want to live and die at home. Architects should be forward thinking to make homes future proof. Generally people living with dementia only go into care homes at the later end of their journey when family is in crisis.

Cutting to the heart of so many discussions within this space… how do you design economically viable dementia care @_projectoffice? #boomdialogue

@boom_saloon This can be achieved through partnering with community organisations and resources, such as local senior centres and volunteer organisations, to provide additional support and resources to individuals with dementia and their families.

@boom_saloon We think incorporating community resources can help reduce these costs and improve quality of life for people with dementia and their carers.

@boom_saloon @_JeremyLeclercq It can be achieved by setting up communication systems for people with a wide range of abilities and disabilities, who speak different languages or have different cultural backgrounds. Using visual aids like infographics or diagrams can improve the effectiveness of communication

@_JeremyLeclercq @_projectoffice Agreed Jérémy; how do you think we might go about this/ have you come across any good examples of this in practice?

Your second question asks how do you design autonomy and user agency into a safe environment; what are the best examples of this and what can we learn from them @_projectoffice? #boomdialogue #dementia

@boom_saloon @GerakdK1063 Exactly. With the three stages of dementia it is about connecting to the right people at the appropriate time. This includes family and caregivers in later stages, as the onus can be seen to impact those evermore and their input should be invaluable

A vitally important question within this discussion has to be how do we design for enhanced exchange between designers and users; what are you thoughts on this, @_projectoffice, perhaps building on the comments of @GerakdK1063? #boomdialogue #dementia

@GerakdK1063 @boom_saloon @leedsbeckett @BeckettResearch That's great, and familiarity is super important. I'd like to see us move further and incorporate end-user feedback into all aspects of spatial arrangement, organisation and building composition

@_projectoffice @boom_saloon @leedsbeckett @BeckettResearch Here in Fife people with lived experience of dementia are encouraged to be involved in choosing types and colours of finishes for new build care homes

. @_projectoffice, your article opens by questioning who we design for, and why – before diving into 5 particularly pressing questions. What are your latest thoughts on the first, how do you address specific needs and preferences for the many, whilst enabling cultural inclusion?

@boom_saloon Encouraging participation and collaboration helps promote a sense of community and belonging while also promoting individual autonomy.

@boom_saloon What we realise is designs need to allow residents to move independently through a series of buildings/spaces comprising a range of options for activities, meals, daily tasks and choices about how they spend their time.