Resourceful DIY solutions of older people as input for design
L. Neven, J. Berschöld
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AbstractWhile creativity and innovativeness are often seen as a positive traits in younger people, the use of everyday objects and technologies in unforeseen or creative ways by older people is equally often seen as a cause for concern. Such behavior is seen as erratic and dangerous by for instance designers, care workers and informal care givers as they fear that such deviant use may lead to harm. Implicitly and explicitly they adopt a paternalistic stance which allows them, and not the older people, to decide what technologies are safe and useful for older people. While it certainly is important to keep vulnerable older people safe, adopting the paternalistic stance and dissuading older people from solving their own problems is not wise. It reduces their autonomy, makes them passive and reliant on external help. We need to counter this way of viewing older people and to improve our understanding of the creative ways in which older people solve problems in everyday life.Keywords: resourcefulness, DIY Gerontechnology, ingenuity, tinkering, creativity
L. Neven, J. Berschöld (2022). Resourceful DIY solutions of older people as input for design. Gerontechnology, 21(s),2-2
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2022.21.s.571.2.sp7