Exploring the Potential of an Interactive Soundscape Tabletop in Dementia Care: Insights from Collaborative Development

Abstract

Purpose Music is widely recognized for its therapeutic benefits in dementia care, evoking emotional responses, triggering memories and promoting social interaction (Van der Steen 2018). However, the potential of everyday sounds, such as familiar household or natural sounds, remains largely unexplored in care practice. Research suggests that sounds, such as those found in familiar household or natural environments, can elicit positive responses in people living with dementia (Houben et al. 2019). This paper presents the results of a collaborative effort between researchers, caregivers and people living with dementia to develop and propose a sustainable sound-based technological solution for dementia care,focusing on implementation aspects resulting from the collaborative development.Through three years of intensive collaboration, involving practitioners and individuals living with dementia, we developed the 'interactive soundscape tabletop,' designed to offer immersive sound environments for reminiscence care and well-being (Held et al. 2023). Method Following a participatory design methodology and iterative development process, researchers and caregivers from three care facilities worked closely together to co-create an interactive soundscape device tailored to the specific needs of people living with dementia. Key stakeholders, including people living with dementia, caregivers and technology developers, were actively involved in all stages of the project, from initial concept development to final implementation. Through extensive co-design sessions, field testing and a final evaluation within these care facilities, the solution was rigorously tested to assess its potential for long-term viability and effectiveness in supporting sound-based dementia care practices. Results & Discussion The collaborative development process has generated valuable insights into the integration of the soundscape tabletop within dementia care. By combining researchers' expertise with caregivers' practical knowledge, we've crafted an interactive solution to facilitate the use of sounds in care practices. Insights from our ongoing evaluation underscore the importance of continuous collaboration and iterative refinement to maintain the relevance and effectiveness of technological solutions in dementia care. Our study sheds light on practical implications regarding the incorporation of the soundscape tabletop into existing caregiving routines. This encompasses: 1) User interaction aspects, including the potential for autonomous interaction and the importance of respecting individual preferences for specific sounds, 2) sound-based interventions tailored to different engagement levels during both group and individual activities, and 3) the caregiver’s pivotal role in facilitating system usage.These findings offer actionable recommendations and practical guidance for researchers, practitioners, and caregivers for optimizing the design and implementation of digital sound-based interventions in dementia care. The digital use of sounds represents a promising approach to complementing existing music-based interventions and providing individuals living with dementia new opportunities for sensory stimulation and engagement. Continuous research and refinement efforts are crucial to ensuring the sustainable integration of this solution into caregiving processes, ultimately aiming to enhance the well-being of individuals affected by dementia.

References

Held, P., Röhrl, F., & Schnell, N. (2023). Interactive Soundscape Tabletop to Promote Immersive Sound Experiences for People Living With Dementia and Their Caregivers. In Mensch und Computer 2023 (MuC '23), September 03–06, 2023, Rapperswil, Switzerland (pp. 1-5). ACM, New York, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.1145/3603555.3609317

Houben, M., Brankaert, R., Bakker, S., Kenning, G., Bongers, I., & Eggen, B. (2019). Foregrounding Everyday Sounds in Dementia. In Proceedings of the 2019 on Designing Interactive Systems Conference - DIS ’19 (pp. 71–83). ACM Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3322276.3322287

Van der Steen, J. T., Smaling, H. J., van der Wouden, J. C., Bruinsma, M. S., Scholten, R. J., & Vink, A. C. (2018). Music-based therapeutic interventions for people with dementia. The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 7, CD003477.