1. +
+ providing fuel for innovation in health care
A design exploration considering elderly living
©fuelfor 2009

2. “When the weather is good I come out here into the garden [of the elderly home] to give the old tree a hug - they
say this will give me good energies!”
©fuelfor 2009

3. Considering elderly I Introduction & background
A number of key demographic, economic, socio-cultural and technology forces are reshaping the elderly care landscape
and shifting our perceptions and expectations around aging and independent living.
How can design help citizens, policy-makers, product manufacturers and care service providers respond to these challeng-
es in innovative, socially sensitive and sustainable ways?
How can we rethink the experience of aging in today’s society?
fuelfor, in collaboration with soft product designer Ollie Niemi and product designer Ferran Lajara, carried out a preliminary
design research project to explore the needs of elderly people, their families and care givers and identify opportunities for
innovation. In a fast track process of 3 weeks from research-to-concept-to-prototyping, a set of provocative idea seeds
have been developed and will be used to communicate a range of innovation opportunities found to exist within elderly
care - from clothing to services, policies to built environment solutions.
project set-up field research / interviews synthesis / creative workshop / prototyping communication
Staying relevant and competitive within the constraints of the current economic climate is a challenge for many companies
and organisations. As R&D budgets and resources are being cut, key health care issues remain unresolved. There is a need
for a lower investment-lower risk innovation offer that can allow companies to keep innovating through the downturn - an
essential characteristic to survive and succeed.
©fuelfor 2009

4. Considering elderly I Because...
By the year two thousand and thirty, half of the population of Western Europe will be over fifty years old.
Above the age of sixty-five, on average every third person suffers fall-related injuries.
One in every three fallen elderly will die as a direct implication of their fall.
The total medical cost of fall-related injuries is nineteen billion dollars per year.
©fuelfor 2009

5. Considering elderly I Who did we talk to?
Maria 74 Tibor 70 Anjalina 94 Clara 70
Anna 76 Merce - Social worker Daniel -Family member Nuria - Home helper
A qualitative sample of 6 elderly people aged 65+ years and living at home alone, with family or in a care home were invited
to participate in the study. Key stakeholders, such a family members and care workers, were also included to understand
an holistic set of issues and needs.
In a comprehensive study we might also include clinical care providers, insurance companies, policy makers and urban
planners to complete a stakeholder map.
©fuelfor 2009

6. Considering elderly I Design Research
In-home visits, ethnographic observation, interactive interviews, guided tours and group discussions were some of the
design research techniques used to gather insights into elderly people’s daily lifestyle, attitudes and needs.
©fuelfor 2009

7. Considering elderly I Design workshop process
synthesise research material cluster key stakeholder needs create innovation framework
generate ‘what if?’ scenarios visualise ideas prototype selected concepts
©fuelfor 2009

8. Considering elderly I Workshop results
The ideation workshop generated numerous idea seeds, formulated as a list of ‘what if’ scenarios. Based on technological
feasibility and impact on a range of levels from individual to urban, selected ideas were visualised and some selected for
rapid creative prototyping and testing.
urban
Urban props
facility
Vitalising care homes
78 ‘what if’ scenarios
8 concepts described in this presentation community
Community care
Myway
Sharing goals
individual
Rehabilitation clothing
UpgrAID
Indicating clothing
©fuelfor 2009

9. Considering elderly I UpgrAID
1 in 3 elderly fall and injure themselves, often leading to hospitalisation, a rapid decline in physical and men-
tal condition and potentially even death. For this reason some elderly are afraid to venture out of their home
for fear of falling. Ironically, staying mobile and active also contributes to healthy aging. Existing hip protec-
tion products are stigmatising and suffer from non-compliance over time. Advances in materials technologies
offer new functionalities that can be incorporated into clothing. d3o is one such smart material that offers
protection on impact.
This idea combines a service and a product - a bespoke upgrading service that is offered in a senior
store or rehab clinic, integrating a soft protector into clothing such as an overcoat to offer fall protec-
tion in a comfortable, non stigmatising, flexible way.
losing balance doctor consultation senior shop upgrAIDed coat active protection on impact staying active
©fuelfor 2009

10. Considering elderly I UpgrAID
High performance sportswear integrates advanced materials technology that allows people to push the boundaries of
physical activity while staying comfortable and safe. Such textile technology can also be integrated into functional clothing
for elderly to extend the boundaries of their safe and confident mobility, opening up a potential new territory of innovation.
schoeller®-PCM actively balances out too cold
or too hot temperatures. Phase Change Materi-
als (PCM) change their state of matter at a cer-
tain temperature: from liquid to solid and vice
versa. When the temperature rises, the excess
interface with coat heat is stored. When the temperature falls, the
previously stored heat is released again.
http://www.schoeller-textiles.com
PCM intelligent insulation
+ d3o protection inserts
pocket for valuables
d3o is a specially engineered material
made with intelligent molecules.
They flow with you as you move but on shock
lock together to absorb the impact energy.
d3o has been developed for high impact sport
applications such as head, knee, hip, wrist,
elbow protector.
http://www.d3o.com/
©fuelfor 2009

11. Considering elderly I UpgrAID
With the soft protector integrated into a coat it can be simply closed around
the hips to provide snug and reassuring protection. Discreet storage offers a
secure yet accessible place for valuables such as keys.
By detaching from the coat, the soft protector can be worn at home as a
stand alone product, providing comfort by actively balancing temperature.
©fuelfor 2009

12. Considering elderly I Rehabilitation clothing
Elderly may struggle to perform regular rehabilitation and general mobility exercises due to a lack of un-
derstanding of the need to stay active, boredom with routines leading to non-compliance, feeling unsafe
performing exercises on their own. Physiotherapists and rehab specialists encourage elderly to maintain an
exercise routine at home, but need to be able to adapt care plans according to capability as people age, get
ill and their movement deteriorates.
This garment idea offers elderly a simple, fun and safe way to perform rehab and mobility exercises
in the home. It also offers care givers the opportunity to modify and tailor exercises for patients in a
simple, effective way by using pockets around the garment as a flexible system.
©fuelfor 2009

13. Considering elderly I Rehabilitation clothing
©fuelfor 2009

14. Considering elderly I Indicating clothing
Managing clothing to stay hygienic, comfortable and safe can be a challenge for elderly due to their reduced
movement, memory, mobility, sight and sense of cold.
This idea offers garments that indicate frequency of usage and wear through simple visual feedback,
and enlarged narrative graphics.
©fuelfor 2009

15. Considering elderly I Indicating clothing
Thermo-chromic ink indicates wear, changing to orange with body
temperature and resetting back to green on washing temperature.
©fuelfor 2009

16. Considering elderly I Myway
Families struggle to confront and effectively address difficult issues related to aging loved ones and the ac-
companying impact on lifestyles and routines. They find it hard to clearly identify the choices theyface, as
well as to feel a sense of control over their decision-making.
This idea is an interactive, visual tool that helps people discuss sensitive subjects and work out pos-
sible future scenarios in order to plan with effectiveness and reassurance. The kit could also be used
by other groups such as: human resource managers discussing retirement and pension options with
their employees, social workers facilitating decision-making together with the families they support
or clinical professionals discussing care options with patients and their families.
©fuelfor 2009

17. Considering elderly I Myway
Participants were given a memento of the workshop; a booklet reminding them of the key principles of experience design
for health care and a set of red dots to continue identifying experience-based improvement areas for NHS Scotland.
©fuelfor 2009

18. Considering elderly I Sharing goals
Staying physically active, maintaining cognitive skills, staying hydrated and eating fruit and vegetables can be
challenging for people of all ages. It can be more motivating to achieve common goals through collaboration.
This idea enables elderly and their care givers, professional or informal, to set shared activity, diet or
cultural goals using a set of tools appropriate for each of them; a paper calendar with stickers or an
i-Phone digital application. Both are visual, use the same icons and can be shared and discussed to
plan and review activities together. Individual achievements are rewarded and add up to collective re-
wards that motivate them to work together towards their goals.
©fuelfor 2009

19. Considering elderly I Community care
Elderly people interact regularly and develop relationships with certain local community members such as
grocery store owners, newsagents, bakers, butchers etc. Often these people have greater insight into the
condition and activities of elderly than their family or more formal care givers - they can keep a look out for
them in a neighbourly, friendly way.
This idea connects such informal care givers in order to create a basic level of support at a communi-
ty level that can encourage elderly to feel safe and be active, as well as provide additional insight for
formal care givers. Basic training can be given to equip them with the necessary skills to provide in-
the-community care, while offering additional social and business incentives to justify the additional
effort involved.
©fuelfor 2009

20. Considering elderly I Vitalising care homes
Care homes can be isolating places, fortress-like inside the city or placed on the urban periphery. This can
have a stigmatising and isolating effect on the inhabitants, care workers and society in general.
This idea looks at ways to create a de-centralised care home in and around the city; connecting elderly
to city services and facilities, maintaining their contact to other citizens and reducing the stigma as-
sociated with care facilities. There are a range of aspects to this idea; for example designing combined
care facilities for elderly and children that reconnect generations through shared activities and create
a positive impression, flexible care plans that offer variable lengths of stay from hourly to daytime to
permanent, or dynamic care environments that stimulate the senses.
©fuelfor 2009

21. Considering elderly I Urban props
Cities such as Barcelona cultivate green spaces and social zones, and indeed some elderly people gather in
parks to socialise, play games together and relax. They modify the urban landscape to store their belongings
and set up areas for group games of cards, petanca, dominoes or chess. But not all elderly can reach a park
or feel confident enough to venture out into the city.
This idea is a range of street furniture that adapts the existing urban landscape to create areas for
rest, play and social life dotted around the city. Providing supportive props such as seats, chess-
boards and storage to encourage and enable elderly people to enjoy life outdoors.
©fuelfor 2009

22. Considering elderly I Urban props
©fuelfor 2009

23. Considering elderly I Next steps
Reflecting on the project to date, we have found that through exploring this field we are better able to comprehend the
complexity of social, cultural and economic issues around the experience of aging in today’s society. However, we also see
a wealth of rich opoportunity areas where design and innovation could make a tangible difference for the elderly popula-
tion, their families and care givers.
We are currently in an evaluation stage of the project, going back to research participants to gather feedback on the work-
shop concepts. We are actively seeking opportunities to communicate the project, as well as identify partners and clients
interested in developing some of these ideas further. If you are working on the topic of elderly living or are interested in col-
laborating in this field, we would love to hear from you.
On a personal note, this project was inspiring, connecting us with a whole generation of people we rarely have a chance
to meet and spend time with. Their stories and experiences, attitudes and challenges have opened our eyes to our own
preconceptions about age, and our expectations around relationships across generations. We became in touch with the
prospect of our own aging but equipped with a fresh perspective - more open, less fearful and certainly more motivated to
address some of the issues that prevent age from being celebrated in society.
Finally, we would like to thank all of the people who agreed to participate in this study for their time, honesty and generos-
ity without which we could not have learnt so much in so short an amount of time.
©fuelfor 2009

24. + for more information please contact us
contact@fuelfor.net
www.fuelfor.net
+34 672 252 681
©fuelfor 2009