Elderly Challenge - Observation 4

Recently, I have observed that public transports are getting crowder these days. As there are limited seats, an elderly would not get a chance to sit down. Even with the reserved seats, younger people would not even bother about the elderly and would just take up the seats. Many elderly people would then be left with no choice but to stand. If their journey is very long, it would affect their knee bone and their muscles would ache. Standing up on the MRT would also increase the chances of them falling down when the MRT breaks.




This picture is taken in the afternoon. If we place an elderly in this scenario where by she/he has just entered the MRT and have no place to seat, how would he/she feel? This would also affect the good reputation of Singapore. In my opinion, I think that there should be more reserved seats. Anyone who does not fit the purpose of these seats and still seats on them will be fined. This action would then help the elderly.

JJ(:

Elderly Challenge - Observation 3

Osteoporosis is a disease of bones that leads to an increased risk of fractures. A small fall can result in complications such as hip fracture. Therefore, some elderly are afraid to go out of the house. They have the fear either because they have injured themselves before and do not want to take the risk of getting hurt again or they have heard of the severity of falling. However, not going out of the house will also affect their health. Hence, we have to improve places like the shopping centre or a public park, to make the facilities elderly-friendly to ensure that they are safe.

The floor tiles in corridors are often slippery. This would increases the risk of the elderly falling down. I think that we should change the tiles into non-slippery ones to ensure their safety. This would build up their confidence in stepping out of the house. Walking around corridors can also be a form of exercise, which would improve the elderly's health condition.

JJ(:

Elderly Challenge - Observation 2

I have observed that the visually impaired elderly cannot really see the signs in a shopping mall. When I went to a a shopping with my grandmother, she had problems seeing the signs and arrows as she is visually impaired. From my point of view, I think that they should increase the size of the words so that it will suit the elderly. Besides, sometimes the visually impaired elderly would not even notice the signs. Maybe some bright lightings would capture their attention.

To be able to get a clear view of this sign, I had to come so close. Imagine placing a visually impaired elderly in this situation. Wouldn't it be even hard for he/she to see the sign? Another thing is that the arrows can be a bit confusing. Shouldn't all the arrows pointing in the same direction be on the same side? Putting the MRT on the right side is the wrong choice. This would only confuse the people further. So, to suit the elderly, the MRT, Food Court and Supermarket Sign should be on the right while the Bus Interchange Sign should be on the left to avoid confusion.

JJ(:

Elderly-Friendly Room

Overview of the Elderly- Friendly Room.

This is a small refrigerator. All the drinks and food are kept inside.

This is a microwave. It helps the elderly in re-heating cooked food so that he/she does not need to cook it himself/herself.

This is a machine that allows the elderly to exercise. This would be more convenient as the elderly does not need to go out of the room. All the elderly has to do is to step on this machine and start exercising, just like walking on the road.

This is a closet. It has many drawers. This allows the elderly to separate his/her stuff so that he/she will not forget where the items are. It is also near the sofa so the elderly does not need to move around too much.

This is a long and comfortable sofa. There is a pillow on it. This makes it more comfortable for the elderly when he/she is watching the television.

This TV is stuck on the wall. It is huge so that they visually impaired elderly would be able to see the screen clearly.

All this equipments suits the elderly. So, this is the ideal Elderly- Friendly Room!~

JJ(:

Elderly Challenge - Observation 1

I have observed that the elderly have problems walking. They either walk very slowly, or they cant even walk. This would make it hard for them to get from places to places easily. When walking, the elderly tend to get tired very easily. Therefore, they would take breaks after walking only a short distance. Even if they take public transport, it may be very crowded and they might not even get a seat as the other passengers might not be willing them up. Like this, taking the public transport will not be much better than walking as the elderly would still have to stand.

This picture shows an escalator. This escalator is not working due to some technical problems. If an elderly had to go up to the second level, it would be hard as he/she will have to find a lift or another escalator. Besides, the signs at the mall is too small. An elderly may have troubles finding a lift or escalator. So, in conclusion, I think that they should build some slopes in the mall so that it would be elderly friendly.

However, space is a big problem. As Singapore is a small country, the amount of space given is limited. Building slopes takes up a big amount of space, which is probably why people do not build them. But when there is a power failure or faulty in the lightnings, slopes would then come in handy.

JJ(:

Holiday Homework - Part 1 Understanding the Elderly Challenge

Explain in your own words, the FOUR key recommendations of the report.

Housing for seniors

This allows the elderly to live as a part of the family or community. There will be a range of housing options to suit the lifestyle of the elderly and help them with their disabilities, complemented with facilities. Like this, Singapore will be suitable for all ages to live in.

Accessibility for seniors

The facilities must be elderly-friendly. This will allow the elderly to lead active lives. We can start by making their homes and the environment barrier-free. This will ensure that they are safe and sound at all times. Singapore will then be suitable for the elderly to live in.

Caring for seniors

Elderly needs to take care of their health. They would also have some needs. Therefore, in addressing a diversity of needs and looking after their health, healthcare and elderlycare services in Singapore must be easily accessible to the elderly living in the community.

Opportunities for seniors

This would allow the elderly to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. They will then have good relationships within their families and also with their friends when they do activities together. Singaporeans will then have a positive attitude towards the seniors.

State ONE way that the CAI report is recommending to make our public housing more elderly-friendly

They are going to have accessible lifts, walkways and transport pick-up points which are elderly- friendly.

State TWO ways on how we can ensure that the quality of elderly care here in Singapore is affordable

We can ensure by knowing how much funds can be spent to improve the lifes of the elderly. If the budget is high, then it is affordable. But we must take into consideration of the disadvantages of it as it may affect the community. If there are lots of benefits, it is then very worth it.

After reading the CAI report, what do you are the THREE things that you can do, as an SST student, to help overcome these elderly challenges

1. I can generate ideas to improve the lifestyle of an elderly by looking at things from a different perspective. This will allow me to apply critical thinking skills and using SCAMPER to further improve an item or even create a new one. For example, wheelchairs are not for going downstairs. We can use modify the wheelchair and further improve it by implementing something into it. This would help the elderly.
2. I can go to the old folks home and talk to them to understand better what are their needs. I can not only keep the elderly company but can also figure out how to further improve their lives by helping them to overcome some challenges they met.
3. I can organise a fun-raising day in SST, where the funds collected will go to the elderly. The funds can then be used to help them.

Personal Reflection (NEwater visit)

1. What are the 3 key takeaways from today’s visit?

From today's NEwater visit, I learnt about Singapore's four national taps(National Catchments, Imported water, NEwater and Desalinated water), how NEwater processes the water to make it suitable for drinking(purify and distill) and how the processes work.
2. Name 2 concepts that you have learnt today during the visit.

I have learnt about the three processes that is used in the NEwater plant: UV Disinfection, Ultra Filtration and Reverse Osmosis.

UV Disinfection: Kills Bacteria

Ultra Filtration: Only allow water molecules to pass through the membrane

Reverse Osmosis: Purify Water

3. What is the 1 interesting thing that you have learnt today?

In the process of Ultrafiltration, the view is multiplied by 100,000 times: Like this, the holes in between the strands will be the size of a tennis ball, water molecules would be a size of a ping pong ball, virus would be as big as a truck, and bacteria would be as large as the NEWater factory itself.
4. What are the things that you can do to help with water conservation in Singapore?

We could use the 3Rs(Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) to help with water conservation. Like this, the target of using 140 litres of water per day for each person will be met faster.

An idea: Use the water for washing vegetables to water the plants or flush the toilet.

JJ(: