Project description:

This project follows a loving son who built a dementia-friendly home for his father, and investigates the real-life experiences of people with dementia and any shortcomings of government-coordinated initiatives like carer support groups.

It is one part of two interactive projects which aims to change narratives about dementia, highlight the positive and negative sides of the illness and was published on World Alzheimer’s Day in 2022.

Impact reached:

Although the main goal of this project was to change narratives about dementia, these two projects also set a benchmark for how to tell impactful stories about key issues in our communities.

The project was well-viewed and was among our top 8 most viewed interactives for the year. It was well-shared among the dementia-friendly community. It has also helped further the dialogue about how dementia is not all doom and gloom but can also be filled with positive experiences if communities are set up to help people understand about the illness. LinkedIn also picked it as one of the top stories on 27 Sept, the week it was published.

As a result of the dementia package, the contributions of the two dementia advocates we interviewed for the project – Ms Alison Lim and Mr Anjang Rosli – were made known to the public, and they were nominated for the ST Singaporean of the Year 2022 Award.

The stories were also widely shared on social media, including the Asian Development Bank’s Social Development Thematic Group, who does a lot of research into and provides financial support for ageing and age-related policies in Asia.

Techniques/technologies used:

We explored the use of photogrammetry to explore inside the home, and how its setup can help a person with dementia live longer with the illness. Our team has been experimenting with 3D storytelling techniques like photgrammetry for a while now, but it has never been done on a large scale and on a physical space. As we had quite a long timeframe for this project, and the subject matter was a fit for photogrammetry, we decided to experiment with the technique.

We also used a tilegram visualisation of Singapore to effectively communicate age data nuances across different neighbourhoods. Through the tilegrams, readers can identify which neighbourhoods have a higher percentage of elderly citizens than average. This was also the first time the team has used this type of visualisation. As it was a visualisation our readers may not be familiar with, we decided to introduce a map of Singapore first to set the context before transitioning into the tilegrams.

Context about the project:

The entire duration of the project took about 9 months. We started ideating in January and the project was only published in Sept on World Alzheimer’s Day. Due to the changing nature of the disease, we had to remain flexible with our plans, especially for our profiles. We initially had another profile in mind but his condition deteriorated over the months and he was not in the right condition for filming. The photogrammetry also required at least 2 hours for us to take the photos from multiple angles, and we needed an empty space for the shoot, meaning we couldn’t have Daniel and his father in the living room. This had to be carefully planned out because we needed to make sure that we were not disrupting them and their routines as routines are incredibly important for persons with dementia.

What can other journalists learn from this project?

I think the biggest takeaway would be that it is possible to change narratives about key issues in our communities. For stories that deserve the light and attention, if done well, it has the power to change lives and make a difference.

As mentioned before, two dementia advocates we interviewed for the project – Ms Alison Lim and Mr Anjang Rosli – were nominated for the ST Singaporean of the Year 2022 Award. Their contributions were made known to the public as a result of our dementia package.

Our stories were also shared on social media and acknowleged by people at the Asian Development Bank’s Social Development Thematic Group, who does a lot of research into and provides financial support for ageing and age-related policies in asia.

Project links:

https://www.straitstimes.com/multimedia/graphics/2022/09/dementia-singapore-home-care/index.html