An award-winning new model for dementia care.

Project designed in collaboration with Lanzavecchia + Wai Studio. A visual catalogue for creating dementia-friendly homes, HACK CARE aims to bridge ‘high level’ principles and everyday application. It posits hacking as a means to tackle daily lchallenges in the home. The publication uses simple themes of ‘Microworlds’ (the physical environment) and ‘Daily Rituals’ (types of engagement). Within these are a collection of hacks, ranging from tested prototypes to new uses for existing IKEA objects, to demonstrate care principles in practical application. We also touch upon the human side of caregiving by sharing stories and interviews with healthcare professionals and caregivers themselves. This offers a holistic window into the world of dementia—not just the medical, technical, and physical, but the affective as well.

For persons with dementia, personal memory and routine play vital roles – making ageing at home a critical advantage. It maintains their independence, well-being, and dignity for as long as possible, slowing cognitive decline. However, our homes are often not ready to handle such the unique physiological challenges of the condition. Concurrently, primary caregivers are often family members who may not have the necessary knowledge equipped. The difficulty of dementia care (and negative emotional impact on family caregivers) often means relocating their loved ones to an institutional setting. Thus, hacking was adopted as a way of problem-solving. It relies on an ongoing process of adapting and optimising – appropriate to a disease and condition of care where (due to progressive decline) challenges are constantly shifting. HACK CARE seeks to demonstrate this mindset and share solutions to common problems so that persons with dementia may continue living at home with their family. 

Hack Care repositions design—not as the rarefied property of professionals, but as a creative activity practiced by carers daily. We wish to play the role of facilitators, empowering others to improve their own lives (and those of loved ones with dementia). 3500 physical copies, as well as the eBook, were printed to meet requests coming in from Asia, Europe, and USA. It has also received a great deal of feedback and engagement. Family caregivers—new and experienced—found it useful and inspiring. Some requested copies for friends or family who are living with a person with dementia. Local and overseas readers working within healthcare and related industries have cited the publication, also, as a helpful supplementary resource for their own work.

You can download a copy of Hack Care now, for free, at www.hackcare.org.

Images by Lekker