The MinD consortium is setting up a dedicated MinD Network to continue the exciting work that started with the European-funded MinD project (2016-2020) “Designing with people with Dementia: Designing for mindful self-empowerment and social engagement”, which finished in February 2020.
The mission of the MinD Network is to promote design as a beneficial tool to improve health and wellbeing in society, with relation to dementia. Drawing on the Recommendations and Design Guidelines from the MinD project, the MinD Network seeks to enable the innovation of methods, services, products and environments through a mindful co-design approach, which puts people with dementia, their families, friends, carers and care professionals at the heart and involves them in the co-creation process to develop design interventions that are both relevant and suitable to their wants, needs and wishes.
Core values of the MinD Network include a commitment to:
• person-focussed design
• promotion of wellbeing, empowerment and social engagement to enhance quality of life
• Mindfulness values to promote respect and dignity
• co-production, co-creation and co-design
• recognition of the power of design.
The aims of the MinD Network are to:
• facilitate joint research and professional development to develop policy and offer advice to policy makers, 3rd sector organisations, professional practitioners, etc.
• promote and train diverse stakeholders in co-creation values and practices
• support the participation of people living with mild cognitive impairment or dementia to promote wellbeing and mindfulness
• promote mindful design as a way to encourage wellbeing, self-empowerment and self-esteem, and preserve dignity
• benefit from collective intelligence in collaborative innovation processes
• work towards the redesign of health and social care services and the creation of new roles to ensure continuity of care.
The MinD Network is still in the early stages. Further details and updates regarding activities and participation will be available on the Network’s pages, in 2021:
