Digital coach for family caregivers of people with dementia

How can people who care for relatives in need of care be supported? you+care is a research project that has been funded by the DIZH (Digitalization Initiative of the Zurich Higher Education Institutions) for two years (2021-2023). In this innovation project, Jürgen Späth and Nadine Cocina (both ZHdK, Department of Design) develop together with Samuel Wehrli and Barbara Baumeister (both ZHAW, Department of Social Work) an application for caregiving relatives, who often suffer from a high level of stress, in collaboration with We+Tech and Pro Aidants, the association for coordinating the concerns of caregivers of people in need of help and care.

Our talk will provide insights into the you+care project we have been involved in as designers together with scientists (non-designers) and the challenges that arose and affected our design process. In addition, the topic of caregiving with a focus on dementia brings another difficulty: designing for users in a constantly changing everyday situation who do not have the chance to improve the patient's condition.

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