Cognitive Kitchen

Technology and Disability 23 (2011) 29–40 DOI 10.3233/TAD-2011-0310 IOS Press

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“The Cognitive Kitchen” – Key principles and suggestions for design that includes older adults with cognitive impairments as kitchen users
K. Johanssona,∗, S. Lundbergb and L. Borella
a b

Division of Occupational Therapy, Department of NVS, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden School of Health andTechnology, Royal University of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract. The aim of this study was to generate new knowledge as basis for the design of kitchens and kitchen products that support ageing persons with cognitive impairments in kitchen activities within the cultural context of Swedish contemporary middle class society. Existing knowledge on the issue was collected through a review of theliterature on previous research and through focus group discussions with those identified as experts in the area, including persons with cognitive impairments and their kin, occupational therapists and researchers. The analysis of the existing knowledge identified three important domains of kitchenrelated activities – 1) storing, cooking and eating food, 2) socialising activities, 3) organisingeveryday life for oneself and the family – and four principles for design of a cognitive kitchen – a) Safety; b) Support for order and structure, c) Simplicity: easy to understand, easy to use and d) Guidance through recognition and intuition. Suggestions as to how the identified principles can be implemented to support persons with cognitive impairments in the identified domains of kitchen-relatedactivities were developed and presented to stakeholders in a second round of focus groups to gather their reflections. This article presents and discusses suggestions for design of a “cognitive kitchen” developed through the study.

1. Introduction There is a growing group of older persons who experience cognitive impairments, and yet continue to live in their own home with these impairments for along period of time. These older adults are expected to manage cooking and other basic kitchen activities. Cooking and managing the kitchen has been recognised by persons with cognitive impairment, as well as professionals working with this group, as important to maintain a high quality of life and to generally be able to handle everyday life at home [1,2]. With a reference to the social model ofdisability [3] and inclusive design [4] this study is based on the as-

∗ Address for correspondence: Karin Johansson, Box 23200, 14183 Huddinge, Sweden. Tel.: +46 8 52483720; Fax: +46 8 34 5014; E-mail: Karin.e.johansson@ki.se.

sumption that experiences of disability can be reduced when the environment, i.e. kitchens and kitchen-related products, are adjusted to a variety of characteristicsof different people. These approaches suggest that the design of products and environments influences everyday use of products as well as the possibilities for persons with different impairments to perform everyday activities and participate in the community. In line with this suggestion, we argue that overall, designers of kitchens and kitchen products need to recognise the potential of the designto either include or exclude persons with cognitive impairments as users. We introduce the term “the cognitive kitchen” for kitchens and kitchen products designed to include persons with cognitive impairments. Symptoms of impaired cognition can be a result of various diseases [5], dementia diseases being one of the most common among an older population. There is also a large group of older personswho live with cognitive

ISSN 1055-4181/11/$27.50 © 2011 – IOS Press and the authors. All rights reserved

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K. Johansson et al. / The cognitive kitchen

impairments as the consequence of a brain injury, for example, after a stroke [6]. Therefore this study focuses mainly on these two diagnoses. Cognitive impairments such as, for example, memory deficits, difficulties to organise and...