ABSTRACT
The traditional medical model, which includes personalised aspects using several design examples, is compared to the person-centred design approach. There are some advantages of the medical approach in identifying dementia as having a pathological origin, to help reduce stigma and use biomarkers, hopefully for early and more effective treatment. Cognitive reserve stimulated by educational and other socioeconomic factors can offset some of the pathological damage in the brain. For dementia-inclusive design, accommodation of the personalised journey, i.e. using the person-centred design approach, is perhaps more appropriate than the use of clinical dementia categories, which focus on dependency and dysfunction. Academics and designers in this field need to reflect on how the implicit use of such theoretical models must be realised and made explicit in their approaches.
