Madison Hawk

Hi there! My name is Madison Hawk and I'm a Service Designer and visual artist based in Dublin, Ireland. 

As a recent National College of Art & Design graduate, I’m incredibly passionate about visual storytelling, design thinking, and solving real-world problems through design.

My design process is characterised and coloured by the world around me, including people, relationships, the natural world, and urban life in Dublin.

What makes me passionate about design is the chance to create dynamic change, make a difference in someone else’s life, and solve briefs through creative thinking.

An engaging and empowering information tool designed for patients and families transitioning from life in hospital to life in a long-term care facility.

Comprised of a two-stage leaflet and an accompanying webpage, Continuing Care breaks down information and guides patients and families through a vastly complex process, making it easily accessible.

System Complexity

The current long-term care system is incredibly vast and complex. It requires far too much legal and medical literacy to comprehend it fully.

Lack of Information

Currently, there is very little information is available to the public. Documents that are available are written by the HSE, and similarly contain too much medical and legal jargon to understand them.

Timing

Patients and families are believed to receive information too late in the long-term care process, which can lead to difficulty in their decision-making. 

Premature Discussion

Conversations surrounding Long-Term Care are happening too early. This leads to disempowerment for care team members and patients, as they feel decisions have been taken out of their hands. The first proper discussion about LTC should be occurring at the CPM with Social Work

Interaction Blackouts

There is a complete cutoff of interaction between St.James’s and patients and families in the end stages of the Service Delivery. Patients and families are left to fend for themselves while searching for nursing homes

Unclear Roles

In later stages, families are searching for nursing homes, but is there anyone matching the patient’s care needs to homes? Are families searching for homes blindly?

Patients are often being removed from care decisions. 

Patients and family members have different communication styles and needs. 

Family members want more consistent interaction.

• The Continuing Care Leaflets were developed with patient and family engagement with information in mind
• Provide a space where patients can make their wishes known and take an active role in their care
• Explain a confusing and vast system simply and in a way that is easily comprehendible
• Contain unique features:
  • FAQs
  • Glossary of Terms
  • Stage-specific info
  • Journey map
    • Future Planning
  • What’s the Story- Patient Preference

• The Continuing Care webpage was designed with family members of patients in mind
• The webpage creates a centralised hub of information for family members to access
• Contains the same information as the leaflets
Connected via QR code or web search

• Provides 24/7 access and support for family members navigating through the Long-Term Care process
  • Relieves pressure on Medical Social Work to be the sole bearer of information
    
  
  

Since the development of Continuing Care, it has been presented to various teams within St. James's Hospital and has been met with a very positive response. 

As of November 2024, I have been working alongside the Transformation team, Medical Social Work, and Frailty Team as the primary designer to develop the leaflets for patient and family use. 

Our overall goal is to develop this leaflet for other care pathways and potentially expand into new areas that need better information accessibility, such as those moving to long-term care from the community.

My inbox is always open, you can contact me with the contact form here or with the details below:

Email: madison.waldronhawk@gmail.com