{"id":10302,"date":"2016-11-01T07:00:54","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T12:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=10302"},"modified":"2020-10-14T08:53:23","modified_gmt":"2020-10-14T13:53:23","slug":"how-fixing-ageist-attitudes-can-help-seniors-get-things-done","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2016\/11\/how-fixing-ageist-attitudes-can-help-seniors-get-things-done\/","title":{"rendered":"How Fixing Ageist Attitudes Can Help Seniors Get Things Done"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>How Fixing Ageist Attitudes Can\u00a0Help Seniors Get <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-10440\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/09\/How-Fixing-Ageist-Attitudes-Can-Help-Seniors-Get-Things-Done-350x293.png\" alt=\"How Fixing Ageist Attitudes Can Help Seniors Get Things Done\" width=\"350\" height=\"293\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/09\/How-Fixing-Ageist-Attitudes-Can-Help-Seniors-Get-Things-Done-350x293.png 350w, https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/09\/How-Fixing-Ageist-Attitudes-Can-Help-Seniors-Get-Things-Done-768x644.png 768w, https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/09\/How-Fixing-Ageist-Attitudes-Can-Help-Seniors-Get-Things-Done.png 940w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/>Things Done<\/h1>\n<p>Designers deserve a lot of credit for making products, tools, and homes that are safer and easier to use than ever\u2014unless you\u2019re a senior. In that case, you may struggle to tell your shampoo from conditioner in the shower, because the\u00a0nearly identical labels have\u00a0tiny lettering. Likewise, you may be overwhelmed by the digital medication dispenser your daughter sent you. The result is that many seniors create their own workarounds and tools to make daily life easier. A growing number of designers have seen this and are looking at ways to fix ageist attitudes and help seniors get things done safely and in style.<\/p>\n<h2>Building\u00a0seniors\u2019 needs into the design process<\/h2>\n<p>Experts say part of the product-design problem is that seniors\u2019 needs and mobility levels aren\u2019t always considered. It\u2019s human nature to assume our experiences are universal, so the 25-year old packaging designer who has no trouble reading tiny print\u00a0may not realize older people may struggle with it. It\u2019s also because there\u2019s an insight gap between what designers think being older is like and what it\u2019s actually like, which leads to a mismatch between products designed for seniors and the seniors themselves.<\/p>\n<p>A new wave of product designers and teachers is trying to get young designers to\u00a0think like older adults\u00a0so they can create\u00a0more useful products\u00a0and tools. Professor Glen Hougan at Canada\u2019s Nova Scotia College of Art and Design Studies has made \u201c<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/nscad.ca\/en\/home\/abouttheuniversity\/news\/designingwithdignity.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">designing for dignity<\/a><\/strong>\u201d his research focus, based on his experience caring for his mother.<\/p>\n<p>Houghan\u2019s presentation on <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.academia.edu\/836184\/Impact_of_Image_designers_and_ageism\" target=\"_blank\">ageism in design<\/a><\/strong> points out the ways that negative stereotypes of seniors lead to ugly and hard-to-use products. He\u00a0also makes several recommendations for designers and design programs to do better, including<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Teach designers to be aware of senior stereotypes<\/li>\n<li>Raise awareness of the diversity in lifestyles, daily habits, and ability levels of seniors<\/li>\n<li>Connect one-to-one with seniors to gain their perspective<\/li>\n<li>Redefine \u201csenior products\u201d to include adaptive pet-care, hobby, and leisure activity items<\/li>\n<li>Make products for seniors look good<\/li>\n<li>Seek out intergenerational design collaboration<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Houghan\u2019s ideas can help seniors get more out of daily life as designers start implementing them.<\/p>\n<h2>Seniors\u2019 DIY fixes for everyday hassles<\/h2>\n<p>In the meantime, resourceful seniors and their families have developed countless DIY solutions to everyday issues. A New York Times column on <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/well.blogs.nytimes.com\/2016\/08\/15\/hacks-can-ease-the-trials-of-aging\/?ribbon-ad-idx=6&amp;rref=health&amp;module=Ribbon&amp;version=origin&amp;region=Header&amp;action=click&amp;contentCollection=Health&amp;pgtype=article&amp;_r=0\" target=\"_blank\">senior product workarounds<\/a><\/strong> had dozens of commenters chiming in with tips they and their parents use, such as<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Replace round interior doorknobs with lever knobs that are easier to grasp<\/li>\n<li>Use lazy susans anywhere you have trouble reaching items toward the back of a shelf, including in bathroom cabinets and in the fridge)<\/li>\n<li>Use a long-handled grab bar to pull out oven racks without risking falls or burns<\/li>\n<li>Add pipe insulation to household items or walkers that need padding to prevent hand pain<\/li>\n<li>Use your tablet or smartphone camera to photograph small print and items, then enlarge the picture to read it (ideal for when you don\u2019t have a magnifying glass handy)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Workarounds can help you enjoy <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/independent-living\" target=\"_blank\">independent living<\/a><\/strong>, but if you\u2019re doing a lot of them, it\u2019s a good idea to talk to an aging-in-place specialist for feedback and safety suggestions. You can also pick up <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/tag\/safety-tips-for-seniors\/\" target=\"_blank\">tips for senior health and safety<\/a><\/strong> on the SeniorAdvisor.com blog.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How Fixing Ageist Attitudes Can\u00a0Help Seniors Get Things Done Designers deserve a lot of credit for making products, tools, and homes that are safer and easier to use than ever\u2014unless you\u2019re a senior. In that case, you may struggle to tell your shampoo from conditioner in the shower, because the\u00a0nearly identical labels have\u00a0tiny lettering. Likewise, you may be overwhelmed by [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2198,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[200,29,27,2],"tags":[30,388,70,121,13],"class_list":{"0":"post-10302","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-families-caregivers","7":"category-caregiving","8":"category-in-home-care","9":"category-senior-living","10":"tag-caregiving-2","11":"tag-home-care","12":"tag-independent-living-2","13":"tag-senior-care","14":"tag-senior-living-2"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How Fixing Ageist Attitudes Can Help Seniors Get Things Done - SeniorAdvisor.com Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How to Fix Ageist Attitudes and Help Seniors Get Things Done. 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