Inclusive Kitchen Design for Older Adults: Generative AI Visualizations to Support Mild Cognitive Impairment

James Alexander Gordon on 22nd September 2025



Author Information

Ibrahim Bilau, Georgia Institute of Technology, United States
Nicole Li, Georgia Institute of Technology, United States
Terrence Malayvong, Georgia Institute of Technology, United States
Eunhwa Yang, Georgia Institute of Technology, United States

Abstract

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) affects 15–20% of adults aged 65 and older, often making kitchen navigation and independent living difficult, particularly in lower-income communities with limited access to professional design help. This study created an AI system that converts standard kitchen photos into MCI-friendly designs using the Home Design Guidelines (HDG). Stable Diffusion models, enhanced with DreamBooth LoRA and ControlNet, were trained on 100 kitchen images to produce realistic visualizations with open layouts, transparent cabinetry, better lighting, non-slip flooring, and less clutter. The models achieved moderate to high semantic alignment (normalized CLIP scores 0.69–0.79) and improved visual realism (GIQA scores 0.45–0.65). In a survey of 33 participants (51.5% caregivers, 36.4% older adults with MCI), the AI-modified kitchens were strongly preferred as more cognitively friendly (87.4% of 198 choices, p < .001). Participants reported high confidence in their kitchen choice selections (M = 5.92/7) and found the visualizations very helpful for home modifications (M = 6.27/7). Thematic analysis emphasized improved visibility, lower cognitive load, and greater independence. Overall, this AI tool provides a low-cost, scalable way for older adults and caregivers to visualize and implement DIY kitchen changes, supporting aging in place and resilience for those with MCI.


Paper Information

Conference: AGen2026
Stream: Built Environment

This paper is part of the AGen2026 Conference Proceedings (View)
Full Paper
View / Download the full paper in a new tab/window

To cite this article:
Bilau I., Li N., Malayvong T., & Yang E. (2026) Inclusive Kitchen Design for Older Adults: Generative AI Visualizations to Support Mild Cognitive Impairment ISSN: 2432-4183 The Asian Conference on Aging & Gerontology 2026: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 43-61) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2432-4183.2026.4
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2432-4183.2026.4

Virtual Presentation

Comments & Feedback

Place a comment using your LinkedIn profile

Comments

Share on activity feed

Powered by WP LinkPress

Share this Research

Posted by James Alexander Gordon

All Posts