Laura Koenen

Dealing with dementia

Department: Man and Communication
Website: www.laurakoenendesign.nl

Losing one’s self

Laura’s project shows that our uniform health care system, a result of restricted funding, is not the best way to deal with individuals with dementia. Creating filmed and written portraits of the patients, she has designed a way to personalise care without burdening caregivers. By analysing the portraits, she developed a concept framework of a person’s identity, with a set of tools. These include a video message to a future self, a book to describe your past, and a networking tool to make sure you get the care you want: preparing for dementia to preserve a sense of self.