Symposium Alzheimer and Architecture
In the Deltaplan Dementia that has recently been started by the government the gravity of the disease of Alzheimer and the pressure this puts on our health care and society has finally been acknowledged. Research on the recovery has priority, but until we can do this, the soothing of the development of the illness and the quality of life of the patient and the beloved is just as important. The current health care has often been inadequate to do this.
People with disease of Alzheimer lose their cognitive functions more and more, like loss of memory but also their ability to communicate. This causes depressions and frustrations, and the ‘standard’ health environment, that is under high pressure as it is, can’t respond to this very well. So we have to search for alternatives for experience and communication.
What people with the disease of Alzheimer can do is see, hear, feel and experience – with their senses of the moment. The experience of their surroundings and the effects of this on the emotional life of people is therefore of decisive significance. People with the disease of Alzheimer interact on a very instinctive and emotional level with their surroundings, and the sensory perception is their guide. For example the inclination everyone has to walk to the light, the way the daylight and the humidity tell us what season it is, the effects of a soft muffled material in relation to a reflective surface. It is thus necessary to carefully design with a lot of attention for the senses, and then mainly tangibility.
Material and space are the link in the experience of and new communication with people with the disease of Alzheimer. In this symposium we give attention to scientific research that is the connection between de tangible sense and the emotional experience. Afterwards we connect the research to the design of spaces and objects in relation to the disease of Alzheimer. Participants will then commence with this subject in a workshop about material and tangibility – so it is not just about listening, but also about experiencing it yourself. We will end the symposium with drinks and the opportunity to look at the material exposition
Date: 5 June 2013
Time: 13.00-18.00
Location: Materia Amsterdam, Pedro de Medinalaan 1B, Amsterdam
Costs: 35 Euro
The symposium will be in Dutch. For more information about the program please see the Dutch article. If you would like to attend the symposium you can reserve a place via this link.
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