FROZEN
ANNA PRIEDOLA
Data objects, 2020
Author is concerned about the current tendency to rely on technology for everyday tasks such as cooking, that normally would be a reason to train fine motor skills or to socialise, when doing these tasks together with other people.
A lot of skills are being replaced by others that are more suitable for modern interfaces. It is impossible to predict what kind of cognitive and memory disorders will affect the current generation that relies on technology as memory prosthesis, keeping everything in phones instead of their brains, because all the necessary information is seemingly just a couple of touches and swipes away.
Refrigerator is one of technologies that lets us reduce the amount of everyday tasks – it gives us easy access to pre prepared food. Installation “Frozen” is a physicalization of dementia data, represented with dairy products – settled and unchangeable.
Milk is an important part of childrens' diet and dementia patients are often going back to childlike state, living in their past, not present.
Data represented in the installation:
- Dementia patient ratio between developed and developing countries (40/60%)
- Gender distribution between Alchaimer patients (⅓ male and ⅔ female)
- Global distribution of costs for dementia patient care (40% direct social sector costs; 20% direct medical costs; 40% informal care costs)
- Prevalence of dementia in population by age (registered in UK in 2014.):
| <64 : |
~1,5% |
| 65–69 : |
~2% |
| 70–74 : |
~3% |
| 75–79 : |
~6% |
| 80–84 : |
~12% |
| 85–89 : |
~19% |
| 90–94 : |
~29% |
| 95< : |
~40% |
The estimated proportion of the general population aged 60 and over with dementia at a given time is between 5-8%. The loss of cognitive skills is not an integral part of aging – multiple studies have proven that physical and mental activity, social and emotional wellbeing and wholesome diet are factors that help to keep mental health in order even until very old age. Dementia patient care can be overwhelming for the families of affected people, it is both a social and financial burden of affected families and society in general. People with dementia are frequently denied the basic rights and freedoms available to others.
Pasaules veselības organizācijas dati liecina, ka 2015. gadā pasaulē bija 50 miljoni ar demenci sirgstošo, no kuriem 60% mīt attīstības valstīs. Nākotnes projekcijas paredz 82 miljonus demences pacientu 2030. gadā un 152 miljonus – 2050. gadā, to izskaidrojot ar straujo iedzīvotāju skaita pieaugumu attīstības valstīs.
Worldwide, around 50 million people have dementia, with nearly 60% living in low- and middle-income countries. The total number of people with dementia is projected to reach 82 million in 2030 and 152 in 2050. Much of this increase is attributable to the rising numbers of people with dementia living in low- and middle-income countries.
Dementia has significant social and economic implications in terms of direct medical and social care costs, and the costs of informal care. In 2015, the total global societal cost of dementia was estimated to be US$ 818 billion, equivalent to 1.1% of global gross domestic product (GDP). The total cost as a proportion of GDP varied from 0.2% in low- and middle-income countries to 1.4% in high-income countries.
High cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and too much sugar raises are also associated with increased risk of dementia. The MIND diet is designed to prevent dementia and loss of brain function as you age. The MIND diet encourages to consume a lot of leafy vegetables, berries, fish, legumes, olive oil and recommends to avoid fried food, sugar, red meat and dairy.
