It is imperative that we stay driven and inspired by something, and inspiration is often found in an effort to help others.
Alzheimer’s Disease is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, cognition, and behavior. There are many people who have touched our hearts who have had the misfortune of suffering from this terrible disease. One actor, Gene Wilder, sadly passed away from the disease a few days ago.
No one wants to put their loved one through the pain of Alzheimer’s. This is the reason I felt inspired to change the way people see Alzheimer’s disease.
As a designer, I feel drawn to help people using design. That led me to the topic of Alzheimer’s disease. Looking into health care facilities, I noticed how the residents and statistics showed that people with dementia were less engaged than other residents. This concerned me. I was also extremely bothered by the bedding; I thought it was very hospital-like. These people live out the remainder of their lives in healthcare facilities and need to feel comforted. Taking the negatives that I had found, I developed a positive solution for not only those living with dementia but their families and caregivers.
I designed what I call Comfort Covers, which are unique double-sided duvets designed to guide comforting conversations of memory-based exchanges. One side of the duvet is designed to help patients “tell your story” by displaying typography, color (based on color therapy research), and form to display personal information and memories. For example, it might say, “My name is” “My favorite food is”, “My favorite color is,” and so on. This allows conversation cues to be visually displayed so anyone entering the room can engage with the patient in conversation. On days the words are too much for the person, the duvet over cam be flipped to the “comforting side.” This side is based on a geometric shape chosen to graphically represent the patient’s personality in a calming way.
The knowledge that I am helping people through my design skills is extremely rewarding, and I'm sure you have felt the same with your skills as jewelers, too!
