Because the ageing society is an increasingly frequently discussed topic and
there is a definite urgency to fit this phenomenon into the environment, I wish to
address this theme. To speak about ageing implies that one must confront ageing
and finally, death, oneself. For this reason, most elderly people are usually
spoken about as if this had nothing to do with them and it would never happen
to them. It is however true, that in future there will be ever more older people and
it is quite clear that many objects and institutions, as well as services, will, sooner
or later, have to be adapted to fit this need. Product solutions, truly supported
by society and brought into society as norms by developers and manufacturers,
are still a long way off. In this paper I wish to show that these ideas, especially in
the product development branch, have not only been thought about but will
in the long run become self evident in design. Every designer has parents and
grandparents.
