How Alzheimer100 worked

Dott 07 asked service design firm thinkpublic, led by Deborah Szebeko, to work with Alzheimer's Society branches throughout the North East to investigate the everyday problems experienced by Alzheimer's patients and carers, and service providers. thinkpublic helped people record their experiences; they used film, diaries, interviewed one another, made prototypes, and drew. From these activities emerged a long list of common challenges faced by people during their journeys through dementia.

The key challenges identified were:

• Social isolation, both of people with dementia and their carers
• Lack of public awareness and the stigma attached to the subject
• Difficulty in navigating the wide array of support services that exist
• Tendency of carers and services to be over-protective of people with dementia
• The long hours worked by carers on their own and without support.

What next?

The Dott 07 team was inspired during the Alzheimer100 project by how much people with dementia, and their carers, do to support each other. That said, the project revealed new opportunities to improve peoples' lives in practical ways. Our project partners will develop these ideas, presented at the Dott 07 festival, in the coming months.