Designing personalized soundscape for care facilities

Abstract

Sound is critical in making people aware of their environment; it gives people a sense of place and time. Soundscape relies not only on the objective quality of sound by quantifying the sound level but also on the subjective quality of the auditory environment based on people’s perceptions. When a sonic environment is unfamiliar, it adds to the anxiety of those who receive the sound. People with dementia may have difficulty understanding time and space; they may live in long-term care (LTC) facilities or have to relocate to LTC. Sensory perception in these facilities is unfamiliar: light, sound, temperature, and smells may be strange. Unfamiliar sensory stimuli add to residents’ anxiety and annoyance, making them agitated and disturbed and decreasing their sleep quality. Designing a personalized soundscape helps reduce behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia and improves sleep quality. This study employed a sound system that uses a customized algorithm to play sounds at prescheduled moments throughout the day. The soundscape is composed according to the resident’s daily activities, using familiar sounds like bird sounds and raindrops. The goal is to implement soundscape into the design of LTC facilities to enhance the quality of life for residents and their caregivers.