Handphone for the elderly

Hi :D Heres a handphone that i came across for the elderly :) Its the Ino CP09 :D

Products (Sketches)

Here are the two product designs that i had come up with for the elderly challenge, however they are both electronic, and Mr Irfan says that we have to make a prototype == How?? :(

Elabouration for the first product (The 1st version of the walking cane (Actually more like a stick :))):

The mindmap :)

Elderly Questions

Hellos :D Here are some of the question that i have come up with :D

1: Elderly tend to have a lot of difficulties, be it in mobility, or visually, etc, and how are we going to design and engineer products in such a way that they are elderly friendly?

Some of the basic functions of the products are: I think we should make all the text areas in our products should be bigger and more visible, and the chairs that we design should not be too low as it would be difficult for the elderly to get up and down.

2: How is the elderly going to move around conveniently?

We can invent a sort of hovercraft chair in the future so that elderly in wheelchairs can go over obstacles with ease, unlike with the current wheelchair.

3: What inconveniences the elderly?

I have noticed that some of the toilets in certain malls are not elderly friendly at all, which inconveniences the elderly a great deal, and in certain malls, there are no benches around the mall, and if the elderly are tired after shopping, they do not have any place to rest.

Kenneth :D

Elderly Observations

In my neighborhood, there are not much elderly around, but when i visit my grandparents in Yishun, or go our with my friends and family, i have made some observations about the elderly.

Elderly observation 1: When the elderly climb by stairs, they always hold the handlebars at the side of the stairs and slowly make their way up.

Elderly Observation 2: When it comes to crossing roads, the elderly tend to not use the overhead bridges, as it might be a very difficult task for them, and they tend to cross the big road with cars traveling on that road at about 60-80 km/h. These can result in major accidents, and the lives of the elderly could be lost just like that. I feel that the government should install more traffic lights on the road, so that the elderly can cross the road with ease, and not needing to go up a flight of stairs just to cross the road. For them, this could be a very difficult thing to do. However, this solution might cause displeasure to the drivers in Singapore. So, another possible alternative is to educate the elderly that by crossing the wide road just like that, they would risk their lives and they might get knocked down by a car anytime.

Elderly Observation 3: I still sometimes see elderly standing in the MRT trains and on the buses! The government should really encourage the citizens of Singapore to give up their seats for the elderly in Public Transports, so Singapore can be a community the is friendly to people of all ages.

Elderly Observation 4: The elderly like to sit down on benches in shopping malls after they have looked around for products that they want to buy. And yet, in some shopping malls, such as Bishan's Junction 8, there are no benches that are free to the public to be found! If an elderly person wanted to take a seat, they had to head down to the food courts and purchase a cup of drink before they could sit down on a bench in the food court. The management team managing the shopping centre should really consider adding the benches in the mall.

Elderly Observation 5: I have noticed that most of the elderly do not know how to use, much less own even a piece of modern day technology, like handphones, computers, etc. I feel, that we, as young people of the nation, should encourage the elderly to use mobile phones, computers, and especially mobile phones, so that we can keep in touch with them. And they should also learn how to use the computer because like this, we would also be able to email them, so it can be another way of communicating with them.

Elderly Observation 6: Similar to observation 2, I have noticed that the elderly like to cross the road when its clear of cars, even when there is a traffic light installed there. They usually cross the road when it is RED man. This might be dangerous for them as they might get knocked down by a car traveling at a high speed. This could be prevented if the government installed some kind of barrier that rotates. This barrier could be connected to the traffic light pole, and when it is red man, the barrier would be blocking the people, preventing them from crossing the road. And when it is red light, and the cars have to stop, the barrier could then be rotated to block the cars. This not only prevents elderly or youth from jaywalking, it also prevents drivers to go past red traffic lights. ( I have noticed many incidents like that before, and almost got knocked down myself.) This solution could be beneficial to all citizens across all ages.

Well, thats all the observations for now :D

CAI Report Questions

Here are the questions that Mr Irfan posted regarding the CAI report:

• Explain in your own words, the FOUR key recommendations of the report.

The four recommendations are: Housing, Accessibility, Caring and Opportunities for Seniors. The CAI wants Singapore to be a community that encourages and allows the elders to be part of the community. So, the elderly would be offered a wide range of houses, complemented by good support care services. Everything in Singapore should be elderly friendly, like the shopping centers, housing, etc, and that would be complemented by user-friendly transport system for them. There would also be services for people to take care and attend to them, and they would have opportunities to be involved in community groups and activities.

• State ONE way that the CAI report is recommending to make our public housing more elderly-friendly.

The house could be in a specific size to suit the elderly's needs.

• State TWO ways on how we can ensure that the quality of elderly care here in Singapore is affordable.

The government would top-up the less well of elderly's Medisave accounts, so that those elderly would not have to pay the full hefty medical bill. The government also encourages the elderly's family to have a family physician to treat and to do checkups on the elderly.

• After reading the CAI report, what do you are the THREE things that you can do, as an SST student, to help overcome these elderly challenges.

1) We could go to neighborhood community clubs to plan and organize some activities for the elderly to attend, and if there are funds needed, we could get them from either the school or the government if that is possible, or all of the students of SST could do their part by chipping in.

2) We could head down to the community centers/ elderly homes and organize talks or speeches to highlight to the elderly the importance of their health and healthcare.

3) We could spend more time with our grandparents and even our elder relatives, and we should try to talk to them as we might be able to learn lessons from them as they have more experiences than us, so we would not make some of the mistakes that they might have made in the past.

Animation Video if the BALL :D

Heres a video that my group has done during the Animation Workshop in School :D