“The Cognitive Kitchen” - Key Principles and Suggestions for Design That Includes Older Adults With Cognitive Impairments as Kitchen Users
By Johansson, K.; Lundberg, S.; Borell, L.; Technology and Disability, Vol. 23, No. 1, pp. 29-40Publication Date: 2011
Study sought to generate new knowledge as basis for the design of products that support seniors with cognitive impairments in kitchen activities. This knowledge was sought within the cultural context of contemporary Swedish middle class society. Existing knowledge on the issue was collected through a review of the literature on previous research and through focus group discussions with experts in the area, including persons with cognitive impairments and their kin, occupational therapists, and researchers. Analysis of the existing knowledge identified three important domains of kitchen related activities: (1) storing, cooking, and eating food; (2 socializing activities; and (3) the organization of everyday life; and four principles for the design of a cognitive kitchen: (a) safety; (b) support for order and structure; (c) simplicity of function and use; and (d) guidance through recognition and intuition, that is new products created through design that reminds the user of familiar products. Suggestions based on these domains and principles of design for a cognitive kitchen include the use of colors to indicate different functions, elimination of any furniture or other items that indicate activities other than those that are kitchen related, and good lighting, including light emitting diodes (LEDs) near the floor to provide guidance in the dark. Also suggested is the placement of a “command bridge” for kitchen activities, composed of a desk and chair, a traditional telephone and address book, and a screen for a computer system which is connected to sensors monitoring kitchen appliances. Through the sensors, the senior occupant can be alerted to safety hazards such as a stove burner being on or the refrigerator door being left open.
Published by: IOS Press (Website:http://www.iospress.nl)
Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe (AAATE) (Web Site: http://www.aaate.net )
