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Caretakers

Ishikawa National College of Technology

1. Introduction

(N):Hello everyone. We're students of Ishikawa National College of Technology.　Have you seen or talked with your grandparents recently?　Have you tried to do something for them?
We'd like to talk a little bit about our own grandparents.　Our grandparents and many other elderly people have a lot of inconveniences in their daily lives.
My grandmother is very old and can't walk. She has lost the use of her legs so she must ride in a wheelchair to get around.　Would you mind talking a little bit about your grandparents?

(K): My grandmother had a stroke and half of her body became paralyzed.

(Y): In my case, my grandmother can't read newspapers, letters, or e-mails because of her poor eyesight.

(Y): We're KOUSEN students and learning about technology. So, we started to think about what we could do for our grandparents and other elderly people through technology.
Today, we're going to talk about an experience we had at a welfare institution, welfare devices in different fields in which we are studying, and what we can do for elderly people.

2. Experience

(K): First of all, to support elderly people, the most important thing is to know the actual conditions they experience on a daily basis.
Last summer, our presentation members went to a welfare institution to gather information and experience the life of elderly people. The institution is called “The KANAZAWA Welfare Information Plaza.”
We put heavy weights on our arms and legs, and wore an accessory which made our backs bend by force. We also wore a pair of goggles which distorted our field of vision. We took a walk in the institution in these conditions.　We were surprised at our experience. We even had trouble walking up a flight of stairs.　Through the experience at the welfare institution, we got a glimpse of how some elderly people struggle through daily life.

(N): While I was there I rode in a wheelchair. Whenever I encountered even a small slope or bump, it produced an unexpected challenge which required a large amount of energy to overcome.

(K): Having poor vision shocked me ! I usually read things on my telephone and computer. So, not being able to read these letters was very painful for me.

(Y): It was difficult to stand up and sit down when I wore weights on my body. Also, when I walked even a short distance, I became very tired. It made me think that elderly people's daily lives are so hard.
After our experience we looked into what kind of technologies are being used to contribute to helping elderly people.

3. Ways to solve problems

(N): As a student of mechanical engineering I'd like to talk about how engineers in my field contribute to making people with “special needs” live better. Mechanical engineers can create devices which help people with “special-needs.” Let me show you a few examples.
Please take a look at this picture. There're no pillars in the center of this car making it easier to get in and out of. The mechanical engineers who designed this car took into consideration users who may be physically disabled.
These vehicles are designed particularly for elderly passengers who are disabled. Please take a look. The seats are removable, or can be repositioned with a switch, so even people in wheelchairs can ride.
Mechanical engineers don't only build cars. They can also research materials and design to make existing products better. For example, please look at this cane. Do you notice anything special about it? The handle is shaped for better grip, making it easier to use. Mechanical engineers can improve products like canes, walkers, wheelchairs, lifts and so on.
What should mechanical engineers consider to make goods better suited for elderly people? What are important factors for convenience? Weight? Length? Shape? Of course, all of them, but what engineers really need is to understand the users' ”special needs.”

(Y): What can we do to help elderly people with a poor eyesight?

(K): Let me show you one of my ideas in my field of study, Information Technology.
Elderly people can't read books, newspapers or timetables well, because of their poor eyesight. To help them, one of the simplest ways is to use larger letters. Technology is making this easier.
Products like smartphone are useful. Operating these devices with your fingers is very comfortable and very easy. These screens can be magnified or shrunk with one's fingers. It means the user can decide the letter size freely. Also technologies of voice recognition can provide people with a solution to give or get information. Recent software advancements allow computers to read text aloud. Similar software can dictate speech straight into a text document. With voice recognition, elderly people can easily exchange e-mails with their grandchildren.
And now, there are tremendous kinds of applications on the web. I think information can contribute to the lives of elderly people in many ways. In the future, we will likely see more applications which benefit them.
Now Ms. Yasuda is going to talk about the third difficulty.

(Y): I'm a student of architecture. My grandfather had a lame foot, so he always used his cane. As far as he is concerned, stairs or even a little step are dangerous. Architects design buildings keeping in mind the needs of the inhabitants. Also they can make the daily life of elderly people more comfortable. I am going to introduce barrier free houses.
The purpose of these houses is to make life easier and to prevent accidents. These houses have handrails at places we usually stand up and sit down. And they have gentler sloping stairs. In other words, each stair has a larger surface than that in normal houses and each stair's height is shorter. This makes them easier to climb. Not only that, but these houses also have bath rooms, corridors and lavatories which are larger than normal houses. Thanks to those considerations, the inhabitants of these houses' lives will be made easier.
This is the picture of building I designed. This is an office building but it has a gentle slope so everyone can enter the building easily. Every time I design buildings, I make it a rule to think about elderly people.
One of my teachers said that we couldn't design really good works if we didn't consider the feelings of others. I think so too.

4. Summary

(N): Technology should help people. Better technology will be born from consideration for people. We learned about the hardships of our grandparents. We want to use what we've learned as we grow and become engineers.

(K): Now, I'm interested in developing applications for smartphones. Customized map applications have especially stimulated my interest. I want to make such useful applications in the future, so that people like my grandparents may live comfortably.

(Y): My grandmother looks happy every time I visit her house. Because of her poor eyesight she can't move around the house very easily. In the future I want to design houses which would make her and other elderly people's lives easier.

(N): I want to research mechanical materials for my graduation thesis in my fifth year. In the future I want to continue my research while working for a car company. I'll keep in mind the special needs of elderly people.

(Y): Have you seen or talked with your grandparents or elderly people around you recently?

(K): Have you tried to do something for them?

(N): From now on, we must respect the close connection with people.
In order to achieve our goal we'll study harder and contribute to improving technology.