Humanizing Information About Meaningful Activities for People with Dementia

Stigma and discrimination regarding dementia are still very impactful on the experience of having dementia and of being a carer. To tackle this issue and uplift the quality of life of people with dementia and their carers, efforts are being made to push forward a change in the societal perception of dementia. These include raising awareness and promoting inclusive initiatives that conjointly involve people with dementia and their carers, such as engaging in meaningful activities. Meaningful activities have a crucial role in enhancing the well-being of people with dementia as a means for participation, connection with others, self-expression, and control. This position paper calls attention to the need for improving the design of information so that it is tailored to people with dementia and supports their self-determination, individuality and autonomy, and the feeling of living a meaningful life. Although there is plenty of information about dementia, often this is not targeted to people with dementia, nor designed in a way that facilitates their access and understanding. This is an opportunity for design practice and research to contribute. This position is driven by person-centred, rights-based and participatory design approaches and is anchored in the authors’ previous research on co-designing with people with dementia and their families to support their engagement in meaningful activities.