Designing Self-management for and with Persons Living with Dementia

Promoting high quality of life for persons living with dementia has emerged as a central goal in global public health agendas. The emphasis has shifted from extending life to actively enhancing overall well-being by postponing or preventing additional disability. This represents a departure from traditional medical perspectives on dementia to a more socially-oriented approach, placing a strong focus on wellbeing.

In parallel, the concept of self-management for people with living dementia has emerged, where this is a person-centred approach in which the individual is empowered and has ownership over the management of their life and condition. Practice recommendations for person-centered care have been recommended, which emphasize the importance of knowing and understanding the person living with dementia such that individualized choice and dignity are supported. There is also a need to include informal carers (family members or friends) in designing collaborative care planning, while balancing empowerment and active engagement for the person with living dementia in self-management with carer support. This paper describes our approach to co-designing assistive technologies for care planning with and for persons living with dementia and their caregivers.