CARIAD’s LAUGH project recently presented the findings from their second workshop at the Design & Emotion conference in Amsterdam. Here is a link to the paper – ‘LAUGH: Designing to enhance positive emotion for people living with dementia.’
The Vale of Glamorgan show
Members of the CARIAD team supported the Alzheimer’s Society at The Vale of Glamorgan show, by running Hand i Pocket sessions. Visitors to the show were invited to stitch sensory textile pockets for people living with advanced dementia and the Alzheimer’s Society were on hand to offer advice and support.
CARIAD work featured in ‘Dementia Journey’ blog
Prof Cathy Treadaway’s work has been featured by Deborah Shouse on her blog ‘Dementia Journey’.
Read the full article here: ‘The Inside Story of Designing for Dementia’
Design Research Society 2016
The LAUGH team recently attended the DRS2016: Design Research Society 50th Anniversary Conference in Brighton to present the paper ‘In the moment: designing for late stage dementia’.
The full paper can be found here.
Wales Festival of Innovation
CARIAD threw open its doors this month to share its pioneering design research. The LAUGH project team, based in CARIAD, are working with health professionals and the care sector to develop playful objects to be used in the care of people with late stage dementia.
The LAUGH design Challenge took place in PDR at Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Llandaff Campus, and invited the public with an interest in design and technology to get involved as part of the showcase Wales Festival of Innovation, a national programme of events to celebrate ground-breaking activity in Wales.
The LAUGH team, which includes researchers from universities in the UK and Australia, gave participants the opportunity to use their expertise to help develop new products to stimulate laughter and fun for people living with advanced dementia.
This was one of dozens of participants in the Festival, which is organised jointly by the ESTnet (the technology network for Wales), the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN) and MediWales with the support of Welsh Government and industry partners.
Wychwood Festival
CARIAD members recently ran a series of Hand i Pocket ‘funshops’ at the Wychwood Festival (3rd – 5th June 2016). These sessions offered visitors to the festival the opportunity to get creative and make a sensory textile ‘Hand i Pocket’ for someone with late stage dementia. A Hand i Pocket is a stitched textile pocket that looks colourful, is interesting to touch and comforting to feel that will stimulate and amuse someone with late stage dementia.
Working with Age Cymru and Dementia & Imagination (Bangor Univeristy) at the festival, CARIAD’s Funshops were a great success with many pockets made.
Hand i Pocket Funshops are a global community network making textiles for people with dementia. More information about Hand i Pockets can be found at: www.laughproject.info or www.handsproject.info
Visit to CHeBA
Tuesday February 9th 2016 Professor Cathy Treadaway and Dr Gail Kenning met with Professor Henry Brodaty, Scientia Professor of Ageing and Mental Health at CHeBA Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing, University of New South Wales, Sydney, to discuss the LAUGH project and other related dementia projects in Australia. Professor Brodaty is one of the leading academics in the field of dementia research in Australia.
Visit to Alzheimer’s New South Wales, Sydney Australia
Monday February 8th Professor Cathy Treadaway and Dr Gail Kenning visited Alzheimer’s NSW. They met with Jo-Ann Brown to discuss the Alzheimer’s NSW Dementia Advocate scheme and ways of including people with dementia in research.
LAUGH Project in Australia Jan/February 2016
CARIAD researcher Professor Cathy Treadaway is currently working in Australia at University of Technology Sydney with Dr Gail Kenning (International co-Investigator) on the LAUGH design for dementia research project. This is the first of three visits to Australia, which will enable ideas and knowledge to be exchanged as part of the AHRC funded LAUGH project.
CARIAD dementia research with Gwalia Mynydd Mawr
Residents from Gwalia Mynydd Mawr were joined by Prof Cathy Treadaway and the CARIAD dementia research team for a celebration Tea Party on Sunday 22nd November at the care home in Tumble near Llanelli. The event was held to celebrate the handover of a number of textiles that were developed as part of the Sensor e-Textile design for dementia research at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Continue reading CARIAD dementia research with Gwalia Mynydd Mawr