Hack Care

An armchair transforms into a care station with the addition of thoughtful accessories. A chopping board, with switches, locks and textiles affixed to it, turns into a therapeutic tool for fidgeting. Even a rearrangement of existing furniture transforms the space.

These are some of the simple and affordable hacks presented in this 244-page guide to make living at home easier for Persons With Dementia and their caregivers. 

Winner of the President’s Design Award Singapore 2023, Hack Care was developed by Lekker Architects and industrial design studio Lanzavecchia + Wai. “The Jury commends the project for its powerful message of normalising dementia – positioning it not as a strictly defeating problem but as a prompt to act, adapt, and create a better experience of daily life through ‘hacking’. The Jury also recognises the designers’ attitude of facilitation, rather than prescription, through design – they refer to family caregivers as designers in the project, along with their intention to open a much-needed deeper debate as to how a complex societal issue such as dementia may be tackled.”

Going beyond a toolkit, Hack Care redefines what design is and who can practise it. Instead of offering fixed solutions, design becomes a process of making and experimenting. Design is no longer the domain of design professionals, but also health and social care professionals, caregivers and, really, just about anyone.