Understanding the Benefits of Textiles in Facilitating Interactions for People With Dementia: An Exploration of Design Considerations and Recommendations.

As the global population of people with dementia increases, the demand for best practice dementia care is growing. Textiles have the potential to assist with interacting with people with dementia and provide benefits in dementia care settings. However, there is currently limited understanding of, or experience with, the specific challenges, considerations and design of interactive textile products for people with moderate to advanced dementia. This exploratory qualitative study aimed to explore the perspectives of using interactive textiles with people with dementia. Seven sets of interactive textiles were tested for usability with nine people with dementia, followed by post-testing interviews. Additionally, semi-structured interviews were conducted with care partners and healthcare professionals to understand the effects of interactive textiles in two care settings. In total, 27 people were interviewed, including people with dementia (n = 9), informal care partners (n = 5), formal care partners/staff (n = 2), and healthcare professionals (n = 11), from a residential care home, a daycare centre, and a university located in southeastern Australia. The findings highlighted several benefits of interactive textiles, including assisting interactions, facilitating communication, providing sensory stimulation, supporting reminiscence, and promoting positive emotions such as reducing stress and anxiety. Participants suggest textiles can be used to provide engagement, describing the importance of forging connections between people with dementia and their past, bolstering familiar associations, emotional relations, and recognition of personal preferences. These insights informed design considerations and recommendations for creating interactive textiles that offer playful and meaningful activities for people with dementia.