Bloom

Social interactions that lead to positive affect are fundamental to human well-being. It helps improve the quality of life, and fulfils the need to be recognised, accepted and valued as an individual. However, individuals with alzheimer’s, are challenged to achieve positive social interaction.

The challenges become most acute when they begin to lose their grip on the present and their present condition. Seeing other fellow people with alzheimer’s, with compromised abilities, does not necessarily create a forgiving play environment, but rather, the opposite. This results in a common display of agitation and disruptive behaviour, which occurs when the person’s stress threshold is exceeded.

Bloom is a set of three puzzle games which encourages social interaction through solving the pieces together in a day care center setting. By giving them opportunities to understand themselves and understand each other, it familiarises the concept of empathy for productive social play.