Living with Time: Designing Olfactory Rhythms and Adaptive Homemaking in Dementia Care

Abstract

Changes in the perception and experience of time are widely observed among people living with dementia. Rather than being perceived as a linear sequence, time may be experienced as fragmented sensory moments shaped by bodily states, routines, and environmental cues. Phenomena such as increased disorientation during late-afternoon transitions—commonly described as sundowning—illustrate how temporal orientation is closely intertwined with sensory and contextual conditions. Consequently, environmental adaptation in dementia care must be understood not only in spatial terms, but as a multisensory and relational process that mediates memory, activity, and perception in everyday life. While design research has explored supportive domestic environments through concepts such as safe space, small world, and connection within the broader framework of the sense of home, limited attention has been paid to how temporal rhythms themselves can be intentionally designed. This study addresses this gap by investigating how temporal, spatial, and sensory dimensions of home can be co-designed with people living with dementia through olfactory and multisensory rhythm interventions. The research began with a literature-informed primary mapping of olfactory interventions in dementia care, focusing on reported effects, temporal patterns of use, and everyday sensory practices. Insights from this mapping informed the development of the Chrono-Olfactory Home Map, a participatory design tool that supports the articulation of daily rhythms by mapping activities, perceived energy, and sensory cues across time. Workshops were conducted with five residents with mild to moderate dementia and care staff in a dementia care setting in Milan, combining sensory elicitation, narrative interviews, and collaborative mapping. Findings indicate that scent-based micro-interventions, when embedded within everyday homemaking practices rather than delivered as isolated therapies, can support temporal orientation, emotional regulation, and a sustained sense of home. The study highlights temporal–sensory design as a critical yet underexplored dimension within human factors approaches to dementia care.

Keywords: Olfactory, Time, Sense Of Home, Dementia Care, Design

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007573