Innovation for the elderly is need of the hour

Good innovations improve the quality of life of people. There is an increase in life expectancy, and consequently, an increase in the percentage of elderly across the world. 

Simple assistive devices, therapies and services can not only improve their quality of life but also make them more productive. Design innovations may not always work for people with special needs but design innovations meant for people for special needs are almost always good for all. Let's see how it works.

Innovation for functional needs

One of my students had observed that elderly have a problem with liquid medicine due to hand tremors and came up with a simple idea of a modified medicine bottle cap which would accurately measure the liquid medicine. This could be a very good idea for not just the elderly but for all. Another student interestingly found that elderly people cannot see high contrast and this along with a decrease in short-term memory affects their ability to access digital platforms. The student then ideated on modifications for existing platforms.

Keeping the brain active and happy as it grows old is one of the biggest challenges. As a participant in one of the international workshops, I observed elderly people in an old age home in Germany and designed a game which will help them socialise with each other while also improving their memory.

Innovations for emotional needs

Another group of students had worked on an idea for the social-emotional well being of the elderly. Today, with a breakdown of social structures and the children staying away from their elderly parents, this has become very important. Support services on call which will provide them help through a network of youth volunteers could be a good solution.

Another challenge is to enable the elderly to remain productive and learn from their experiences. One of our NID alumni has tried this through an online platform which brings together elderly women and young parents. Earlier, grandmothers used to knit clothes for their grandchildren. In the absence of them staying together, the grandmothers may have lost the will to knit and grandchildren have lost the simple customised access to knitwear. Young parents can access the online buying platform and custom order knitwear from any of the grannies on the portal. It is a beautiful example because it considers not only the economics but also the emotional aspects of innovation

Innovation for the future

Mr Madnani, who retired as a bank manager, was quite active in his youth. But now he is scared of driving on roads with heavy traffic due to poor reflexes. There is a tremor in his hand which makes it difficult for him to do simple activities. Both his children are working abroad and he tries to Skype with them at least every alternate day. He would like to do most of his buying and paying bills online so that he does not need to commute. But now he has difficulties with digital platforms also. Are we ready for millions of such elderly people who are tech savvy but need simple modifications in existing products and services?

One of the stages of innovation is to analyse market gaps. Currently, there is a huge gap in the lack of products and services for the elderly segment. The challenge is also to be able to think of such modifications and innovative features on a continuous basis. Such innovations require a very empathetic, participatory, iterative approach which needs to be established as a process in organisations.

Lastly, let us not forget that we are not innovating for them, but for us – for one day we will all be elderly.

The writer is a senior faculty at the National Institute of Design. She thinks white space is beautiful because it has so much potential.