Research & Design Publication
Publication @ Institute without Boundaries
“How might we imagine future ways of living and aging in place?”
Aging in inevitable – whether are prepared for it or not. As of July 1, 2020, there were 6 million people aged 65 and older living in Canada (statscan.com), and older adults are the fastest growing age demographic group. By 2030, this number will reach over 9 million, representing close to one quarter of Canada’s population.
Our cohort of 6 interdisciplinary students from different academic and professional backgrounds came together to research, design, and strategize ways to help Canada react to the rapidly growing aging population.
My Roles: Design researcher, systems designer, copywriter, content creator
Duration: 4 months
Recognition: Reviewed by a panel of non-profit and for-profit industry advisors
Research
Our team conducted user research, consisting of 24 interviews of stakeholders, older adults, and caregivers. Along with our secondary research, we compiled 50 case studies in search for a in-depth, systematic understanding towards our topic at hand.
Define
Through research, we gained a better understanding towards older adults and the relevant topics of concern regarding aging.
In the early phrase of work, our group synthesized and created our definition of Living of Aging in Place.
We defined it in two-fold:
What is means to live in a place
How a place should accommodate one’s aging process
Defining what it means to live in a place explores what what it means to have a place to call “home”. Beyond just a space where an individual can eat, sleep, and be sheltered, home is where one can attain a sense of safety, security, and belonging. It serves as a hub to social supports that connect individuals to larger communities so that one may engage in the place where they live in meaningful ways. A home is connected to a network of infrastructure and amenities that can provide goods and services to satisfy one’s wants and needs.
Using our definition, we complied a list of lexicon detailing keywords that we feel resonated to our topic.
Lexicon Website
A list of keywords and imagery to explore the topic of Living and Aging in Place.
Research Report
In the short span of 4 months, our group gathered and synthesized all the data from our research and developed a research report of 147 pages. This publication highlights our 7 insights learnings as well as provide a systematic view towards Living and Aging in Place.
