Harmonest: Integrating Music and Comfort in Alzheimer's Care

"Harmonest" is a compassionate innovation designed to enrich the lives of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) patients through music-infused soft materials like plushies and blankets. This project harnesses the therapeutic power of music to stimulate memory, evoke emotions, and offer sensory comfort. By allowing patients to interact with musical elements through touch, Harmonest facilitates not only emotional connection and calm but also strengthens the bond between patients and caregivers by integrating music into daily care routines. Constructed with safety and practicality in mind, each item is hypoallergenic, washable, and durable, making Harmonest an ideal enhancement for both home and clinical environments, thereby improving the quality of life through soothing sounds and tender tactility.

Three Proposed Forms:

Throw pillow

blanket

Plushie

Project Type

School research project for Major Studio 2

Tools

User Interview

Hardware Development- Arduino

Sewing and Construction

Timeline

3 months

Project Background

Global Aging

significant public health challenges

73%

75 and older

Over 55 million

double every 20 years

Someone in the world develops dementia

Research

Stakeholders

What does memory loss looks like to AD patients

Objectives

Enhance their quality of life, ensuring a fulfilling and contented final stage of their life

Facilitates emotional connection and calm, strengthens the bond between patients and caregivers

Precedents & Inspiration

In my research into existing designs for individuals with dementia, I observed that the majority of these designs cater primarily to users in the early stages of Alzheimer’s Disease. During this phase, individuals maintain a degree of independence, capable of interacting with everyday objects and simple technologies such as cell phones and smartwatches. These designs typically address common challenges in dementia care faced by patients and other stakeholders, including caregivers, family care partners, and social care professionals. Issues such as difficulties with eating and dining, communication, daily task management, and safety are frequently targeted.

Jammies: Musical Instruments designed for People Living With Dementia

i'mnot - Yamaha music instruments for non-musicians

Methods

Non-verbal Communication as a tool

Effective communication with dementia patients involves simplifying language, utilizing nonverbal cues, and maintaining patience and support. Caregivers are encouraged to undergo training to enhance their communication skills, enabling them to better cater to the needs of those with dementia.

Music as a therapeutic approach

Music therapy (MT) is increasingly recognized as a valuable non-pharmacological intervention for Alzheimer's disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative condition characterized by significant cognitive decline. Despite the overall deterioration in memory that AD patients experience, their musical memory often remains remarkably intact. This unique preservation allows patients not only to recall familiar songs but also to learn new ones and experience profound emotional responses to music, making MT a powerful tool for maintaining personal identity and enhancing emotional well-being.

Compassionate Design

Compassionate Design emphasizes the vital role of social connections for those with advanced dementia. It integrates objects and activities that support verbal and non-verbal communication, helping to sustain essential social ties. These designs often incorporate elements from the individual's life story or cultural background, fostering reminiscence and emotional engagement. Moreover, physical interactions such as eye contact, touching, or hugging are significant, as they can synchronize brain patterns, enhance empathy, and create micro-moments of connection. These moments are crucial for helping those with dementia feel valued and understood. Ultimately, Compassionate Design seeks to preserve personhood and autonomy through meaningful engagement and connection, enhancing mental and emotional health through everyday interactions.

Prototype Process

Concept

How Does it work?

Technology

The prototyping stage of the Harmonest project was strategically divided into several focus areas to effectively combine technology with therapeutic design. Initially, the technology integration started with developing capacitive sensors using Arduino, designed to enable musical playback through human touch.

Testing the Human circuit logic

Capacitive sensor as triggers

However, incorporating Arduino into fabric proved challenging, prompting the switch to the LilyPad MP3 player, a more suitable alternative due to its sewable and washable nature. This was further supported by incorporating conductive thread alongside non-conductive fabric, allowing for the creation of interactive "buttons" on fabric-based objects. These buttons, distinctively marked by various colors, simplified operation for users, who could trigger music by simply touching these specific areas of the objects.

Lilypad mp3: all-in-one audio solution

suitable for E-textile: Sewable and washable

This approach not only boosted functionality but also enhanced accessibility and user interaction for Alzheimer's patients. During feedback sessions, some users expressed skepticism about directly touching the conductive elements, fearing safety risks. This feedback prompted the next phase of development, focusing on refining the form of Harmonest to improve user comfort and confidence in interacting with the technology.

User Testing Feedback

A lot of people commented “fun experience” when they first time tried it

I noticed that people’s excitements about the interaction fades out after they have tried it a few times

Most people show skeptical attitudes when I asked them to grab the other side of the element, because the raw texture makes them think it’s dangerous

Materials & Forms

During the second stage of development for Harmonest, the focus shifted to refining the form of the project, exploring how different sizes and designs of plushies would interact with users. Two scales of plushies were created to test user engagement and adaptability in various environments.

The first, a smaller plushie, was designed with bright, eye-catching fabric and built to be versatile and portable, making it ideal for group therapy sessions or personal use on a desk.

Small Scale - Plushie

The second, a larger plushie, was crafted to enhance comfort and emotional connection. This bigger version features two long arms designed to wrap around a person, simulating a comforting hug.

Large Scale - hugging pillow

User Testing Feedback

The long arms hanging on body gives a sense of hugging, and that makes users feel connected

The small one and large one are both cute, and they may fit in different scenarios

The output of the sound is not stable due to the connections of different technological part

Integration

Music

A key component of the prototyping process involved selecting and testing a variety of musical genres and compositions to gauge their effects on emotional responses and memory recall in Alzheimer's Disease patients. This phase included monitoring how different musical choices influenced mood and cognitive engagement to identify the most beneficial tracks. The playlist was customized based on the caregiver's understanding of the patient's historical music preferences, incorporating songs familiar from her youth, her past favorites, tracks with robust beats, and 40 Hz tunes, which research (Hsiung et al., 2024) indicates positively affect cognitive function in Alzheimer's patients.

Observations from Testing

I noticed that when there are more interaction between the caregiver and AD patients, AD patients seem to be more active and engaged into the activity.

Music with strong beats seem and gives positive energy vibe seem easier to be interacted with.

In terms of what songs connect with the AD patients, it was hard for me to tell from those videos. Although it’s my grandma, I observed that I don’t know her history enough to make the playlist that just fits what she likes. I feel like music playlist is something very personal, and need AD patients and their caregivers to decide together.

Takeaways

The patient showed encouraging reactions, such as easily following the caregiver’s prompts to clap and interact rhythmically with beat-heavy music. However, due to the limited scope of testing, it was challenging to definitively determine the most effective musical selections. Consequently, the decision was made to design the music integration feature of the Harmonest products to be customizable, allowing for adjustments based on individual user reactions and preferences.

Final Design Proposal

Features