Adapted Products for the elderly

Adapted Products for the elderly

1. Costs

   • Mid range quality and cost
     • Use strong and visually pleasing materials that are cut accurately
   • Keep costings below £100
     • Price marker to ensure KISS rule is kept
     • Allows research for cheap materials that achieve the same effect
   • Possible to go higher with price for the elderly
     • The elderly are generally wealthier and have more expendable income
     • Higher price entails higher quality
   • Don't overstock materials
     • Leading to excessive cost for a single product
     • Can lead to excessive material waste and careless manufacturing
   • Don't over process the materials you already have
     • Waste the materials you have and having to order more
     • Leads to excessive costs

2. Materials

   • Easily machinable for a smooth and comfortable finish
   • Relatively cheap materials that still full-fill their purpose
     • Substitute materials for existing materials already used in similar products
     • Try to keep costings below £50 for the final product/ prototype
   • Hard/strong to withstand wear and tear
   • Use a mixture of different materials
     • Woods and metals that are easily machined to allow for an accurate finish
   • Possible use of moulded materials

3. Aestetics

   • A simple modernist design
     • Very little ornamentation involved
       • How can you make a product sink into the background?
   • Any aesthetic features made accidentally
     • Minimalist design
   • Sleek and curved
   • Design driven on function and comfort
   • Using plastics or woods with single colours for a smooth aestetic

4. Safety

   • Take minimal effort to use to avoid strain
   • Have smooth rounded edges to avoid cuts
     • Grips on the products to make sure it doesn't slip and cause injury
   • Be self explanatory to avoid injury through misuse

5. Sizing

   • Have a product with adaptable sizing that can be changed to match the user
     • Telescopic products
     • Anthropometrics/ ergonomics
   • A handheld tool
     • Adapted version of an existing tool innovated into an easier to use product

6. Features

   • Must take an everyday part of someone's life and make it easier
     • Ask the elderly to gain an idea of recurring problems
   • Decrease the amount of dexterity and/ or strength required to complete a task
     • The product should aim to fix this issue
   • Possibility of making a tool to complete multiple tasks
     • Home related multi-tool that addresses variousproblems
   • Modular design

7. Client/ user

   • Elderly users providing help completing simple daily tasks
     • The elderly often start to experience decrease in muscle mass during old age decreasing grip strength used for day to day activities
       • Weaker muscles and decreased balance increases likelihood of accidents and decreases mobility also
     • Some elderly people can become forgetful in old age and forget to feed pets or take necessary pills
       • What ages do these changes occur?
     • Wide variety of age related conditions to account for
   • Elderly Pet
     • As they get older dogs back legs become weaker a product could be made to cater for this

8. Ergonomics

   • The product must be colour coded and simplistic to make it self explanitory
     • Highlight important places on device with bright colours and different textured materials
     • Greens and Reds to demonstrate go/stop
   • Refer to anthropometrics to gain the correct data to construct an easily useable product
     • Comfort and function priorotised
   • Large components for easy assembly and use
   • Look at lowest 5th percentile for grip strength and assess what tasks become difficult for the lower percentiles
   • Be use able for a wide range of different conditions the elderly experience

9. Environment

   • Minimal environmental effects
     • Final product will use recyclable plastics and wood types that are easily grown and sustainable