Safe Walking Technology for People with Dementia: What do They want?

This paper presents an attempt to understand how safe walking technology can be designed to fit the needs of people with dementia. Taking inspiration from modern dementia care philosophy, and its emphasis on the individual with dementia, we have performed in-depth investigations of three persons’ experiences of living with early-stage dementia. From interviews and co-design workshops with them and their family caregivers, we identified several factors that influence people with dementia’s attitudes toward safe walking technology, and how they want the technology to assist them. Relevant factors include: The desire for control and self-management, the subjective experiences of symptoms, personal routines and skills, empathy for care-givers, and the local environment in which they live. Based on these findings, we argue there is a need to reconsider “surveillance” as a concept on which to base design of safe walking technology. We also discuss implications for design ethics.