Opened in September 2013, the inaugural world-wide competition received submissions from 52 student teams across 15 countries.  The goal of the design challenge: maximize independence for those with cognitive impairment.

Sha Yao, from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, was named as the winner for her “EatWell” project.  Yao’s design was a “re-thinking of a table setting specifically tailored to help those with cognitive impairment eat without assistance.”

One of the judges of the competition, Juliet Holt Klinger, the Vice President of Dementia Care at Brookdale Senior Living, told Ms. Yao, “I have 6,500 residents who eat three times a day. That’s over 19 thousand times per day that your design could help people.”

A photo of Yao’s design, along with additional information on the other finalists’ designs, is available online from the Center here.