Monthly Archives: October 2024

1.INTRODUCTION Develop an innovative project that promotes active socialization among elderly individuals in day care centers, aiming to reduce the risk of dementia and improve their cognitive and emotional well-being. 2. CONTEXT: Over time, it has become increasingly common for elderly people to attend day centers or move into nursing homes. These facilities offer specialized care, covering basic needs such as food, hygiene, and medical assistance, which is essential for those who require constant support. In addition to physical care, nursing homes provide social and recreational activities to enhance residents' quality of life, promoting their emotional well-being and integration into an environment that encourages interaction. 3. TARGET AUDIENCE:  Retired people attend day care centers. The target users of the project should be elderly people who attend these centers. That means they will be retired individuals, and we must consider the various physical and cognitive conditions they may experience. Common characteristics: Age: Between 65 and 85 years old Health: They may face different mobility issues, cognitive decline, and various illnesses. Situation: Risk of isolation, low technological proficiency. First person: José, 78 years old Age: 78 years Situation: Widower, lives alone in his home. Health: Moderate cognitive decline, hearing difficulties. Motivations: Stay mentally active and avoid loneliness. Enjoys conversations about history and politics. Feelings: Sometimes feels isolated due to the loss of close friends and family. Struggles to participate in group activities because of his hearing problem. Goal: Wants to keep his memory sharp and socialize with people his age. Anexe 2: A photograph of Jose Second person: María, 72 years old Age: 72 years Situation: Married, lives with her husband. Health: Good physical health, slight cognitive decline. Motivations: Loves learning new things and participating in crafts or creative activities. Feelings: Feels that many activities are repetitive and seeks more dynamism. Goal: Keep her mind engaged and socialize, but in an active and stimulating way. Anexe 3: A photograph of Maria Extreme person: Juan, 89 years old Age: 89 years Situation: Widower, lives with his son but spends his days at a daycare center. Physical Health: Extremely limited mobility, uses a wheelchair. Requires assistance for all daily activities. Cognitive Health: Advanced dementia; forgets names, faces, and is frequently disoriented. Sudden mood changes, difficulty speaking. Motivations: Although he barely interacts, moments of calm bring him a sense of well-being. Responds to sensory stimuli such as soft music or gentle touch. Feelings: Feels frustrated or anxious when he doesn't understand his surroundings or struggles to communicate. Goal: Provide a calm and safe environment that allows him to relax and connect, even on a basic level, with his surroundings. Anexe 4: A photograph of Juan MOODBOARD:

Design background With the development of urbanization, more and more young people choose to live in cities, while an increasing number of elderly individuals live alone in rural areas. Their frail bodies often cause various inconveniences in daily life, such as difficulty walking due to weak legs during travel, forgetting to take medication in their daily routines, or adding too much seasoning while cooking. Congee, a traditional Chinese food. 1. Daily Diet In terms of physical health, the first point is that the teeth of the elderly are not strong, and they prefer to eat soft foods, such as steamed buns and noodles. Secondly, most elderly people prefer hot food because raw or cold food can be a burden on their stomachs. At the same time, to avoid issues like high blood sugar, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, many elderly people cannot consume excessive amounts of high-fat, high-salt, and high-sugar foods, so they opt for a light diet. In terms of culture, the first point is that Chinese elderly people focus on health preservation. In their leisure time, they will brew a cup of healthy tea, which is usually made from one or more herbs that have been simply processed, such as drying or roasting. Drinking these teas is beneficial for maintaining their health, such as for the cardiovascular system, stomach, liver, etc. Additionally, they have the habit of eating while drinking hot porridge because Chinese people believe that consuming hot porridge has the effect of nourishing the stomach. From left to right are the iron fork, wooden spatula, wooden fork, and broom. 2. daily necessities In rural areas, many elderly people between the ages of 60 and 70 are still farming. This is because Chinese farmers have a special emotional attachment to the land since ancient times. They will wake up at six in the morning to do farm work in the fields, so the vast majority of rural elderly people cannot do without household items such as agricultural tools (rakes, shovels, hoes, sickles, buckets, etc.). In addition, they also cannot do without reading glasses, crutches, wheelchairs, and so on. Elderly people in China are dancing in the square. 3. Daily Activities The living habits of elderly people in China vary by region and individual circumstances, but they can generally be summarized as follows: 1. Self sufficiency: Many elderly people in rural areas still maintain their traditional farming lifestyle, growing food crops, vegetables, and fruits on their own land, as well as raising poultry and livestock. 2. Community interaction: Elderly people in rural areas usually have close relationships with their neighbors, and they enjoy chatting, playing cards, or participating in collective activities in the village during their leisure time. The same applies to elderly people in urban areas, who also prefer to travel outside. The activities mentioned above not only enrich their spiritual life, but also help alleviate feelings of loneliness. The issues we have identified China has a rich diet culture and a large number of cuisines…

For your project, we would like you to design a solution to help the elderly manage, store, and easily use common spices at home. We will explain the aspects you need to consider below. (Photo credit: Zhao Haotong) Haotong's grandmother is preparing meals for the Spring Festival. The Process of Using Common Spices In daily Chinese cooking, common condiments include soy sauce, light soy sauce, vinegar, oyster sauce, monosodium glutamate (MSG), salt, Sichuan peppercorns, and star anise, among others. For instance, there is a holiday called "Little New Year" before the Spring Festival, during which every household prepares a sumptuous dinner. The Lu Jiale family is no exception; every Little New Year, Lu Jiale's grandfather makes a dish called "Yu Po Yu" (oil splashed fish). "Fish with Splashed Oil" (Image source: Baidu) At 3 PM, Lu Jiale's grandparents went to the supermarket to buy a grass carp and the required spices. By 5:30 PM, they returned home and began to prepare. When Grandpa got home, he first removed the scales from the fish. Then, he cut the grass carp into small pieces, washed them with beer and water, and then marinated the fish pieces with cooking wine and salt for about 15 minutes. After marinating, he mixed the fish with starch and egg whites, and set it aside. While the fish is marinating, Lü Jiale's grandfather needs to prepare the other ingredients. He slices the green onion into strips and large sections, chops the garlic into minced pieces, cuts the chili into small pieces, and slices the ginger. Once these steps are completed, he places the grass carp, ginger slices, and green onion sections into a pot with clean water to boil for about 10 minutes until the fish is cooked. During this 10-minute period, Lü Jiale's grandfather prepares the sauce. He puts the chopped chili, minced garlic, green onion strips, and Sichuan pepper into a pot with peanut oil to fry, then immediately adds oyster sauce, chili sauce, light soy sauce, and vinegar; the entire process takes about 7 minutes. Finally, he removes the cooked fish and places it on a plate, then drizzles the prepared sauce over the fish, completing the dish. Every step of the process needs to be completed quickly; otherwise, the texture of the fish will be compromised. Dishes like the one mentioned above require quick cooking, which can be very challenging for elderly individuals like Lü Jiale's grandfather. He may mistakenly grab vinegar or soy sauce instead of light soy sauce, as these three condiments look very similar. Common Spice Types and Specifications and Price List in Stores In this table, we list the commonly used condiments in the kitchen. You can guess that among the four major categories of condiments, dried spices are used the most in cooking, while fermented condiments are used the least, and this is indeed the case. Typically, the elderly purchase these items at the supermarket. Upon returning home, they store them in plastic bags in the cupboard, but…