The Kettle o' Plank

Finally, this is a moment I have been waiting for all this while. I want to introduce the ......Kettle o' Plank!

Users and my product

Here's a scene where an old man is approaching my product of table. This product aims to prove itself useful for the elderly to use.

Prototype of product for the elderly challenge

Having seen some people I know(elderly), I see them often in the kitchen when I visit them, preparing a treat. A common situation is where they would have to exert a lot of strength on poring some liquid to a container from say...a kettle. The elderly might not have to exert so much strength when based on my product idea. This plank of metal is more than meets the eye. It is actually a foldable support for the kettle. Applying the concept of the lever, the elderly can carrying out the task with ease while exerting less strength. I'm currently still trying to improve on the prototype.

A mindmap of my EQs!

This mind map shows the noted problems that the elderly faces in most common situation. On the follow-up, I shall explain the product prototype and link it to my decided focus in this challenge. Alright, I better go consider my ideas. Bye 

Elderly Challenge Process

After brainstorming on some of the possible problems that the elderly may face, I have decided to first work on one that many of them face. After a quick survey and observation, I found that much of society, especially youngsters, think that the elderly are useless due to their 'weaknesses'. Due to their age, the elderly have grown weaker both physically and mentally, thus, the youngsters usually try to avoid them. This makes the elderly lonely and have not much of a purpose. Therefore, I find that the best way to change that perception is to get the elderly to engage more and show that they are more then meets the eye. I could house activities to have more interaction and come up with ideas to make things easier for the elderly, and who knows? It might even benefit the rest of society.
So...

How can I get the elderly to engage more?

Understanding the ‘The Elderly Challenge’

1.a Elder-friendly housing

Elderly people want to live a healthy and convenient lifestyle too. However, as they age, they grow weaker and weaker both physically and mentally. Thus, they might have difficulty navigating through the house without supports. When others who can help aren't around, they might fall and face many forms of injury and some could even be fatal. Thus, not really giving the elderly a peaceful place to live in. We have to design a whole different infrastructure to the house that minimizes threat possibilities and where the elderly can move around and participate in their activities with ease.

1.b Barrier-free society

This would allow the elderly to live independently and continue to engage actively in society. Examples are like elderly friendly transportation like elder-friendly buses. It will give them access to Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) stations and complement the elder-friendly MRT system. Thus, making easier for the elderly to travel around the country without the fear of danger to themselves. This will allow seniors, especially those with mobility challenges, to move out of their homes and into the community; and participate actively in society. With this kinds of systems, the elderly can do anything with such convenience and enjoy an "accessible city".

1.c Holistic affordable healthcare and eldercare

Some seniors do not have enough support from their family. Thus, very hard to earn money sometimes. When the elderly soon needs care, especially medically, they would have problem. By doing this, it would make a fair system for both the elderly and the younger people. It would be easier to have care for themselves.

1.d Active lifestyles and well-being

Many people think that the elderly can no longer contribute to society and therefore, there are lesser activities where the elderly can participate in. However, there is still a lot that the elderly can do. By doing this, the elderly can have a chance to get out more and interact with others. By doing more activities, they can even contribute to society and can be healthy with outdoor activities and more.

2. The Government should consider introducing guidelines for the provision of accessibility and safety features in the homes for seniors, through a review of the Code on Barrier-Free Accessibility, to create a more elder-friendly environment.

3.a The Government should consider introducing guidelines for the provision of accessibility and safety features in the homes for seniors, through a review of the Code on Barrier-Free Accessibility, to create a more elder-friendly environment.

3.b The Government should explore new models of primary care delivery, such as the development of one-stop primary healthcare centres, to support a network of private sector family physicians (FPs) and allow them to shift the focus of chronic disease management from episodic care to continuing care in the form of disease management packages that are patient-centred and outcome driven.

4. I can come up with innovative ideas to design an accessible and convenient place and lifestyle for the elderly. I could design an elderly-frinedly infrastructure of a house, I could come up with innovative products that can be very useful for the elderly. With the school's support, I, along with my friends, can host different activities for the elderly to participate in and interact with others.

Hardy Shein Nyein Chan

Link to our video animation...below