The Alzheimer’s bus
Concept
Naomi Cheung San
The Alzheimer’s bus
The Flyer
Naomi Cheung San
The Alzheimer’s bus 1. The Alzheimer’s bus, front of flyer
After research I decided my target group was not just Alzheimer’s patients but especially informal caregivers. I have a lot of respect for friends and family who go over their own boundaries to take care of the patient. Busy modern society in general doesn’t make this a very easy task. I see it as my task to unburden the informal caregiver. And since about 70% of Alzheimer’s patients live (and die) at home I am indirectly helping them as well by helping the informal caregivers. We need to take Alzheimer’s out of anonymity in addition to cope with aging of society and the increasing amount of Alzheimer’s patients but also to take informal caregivers out of their isolation. We have to help each other. I decided to design a bus service, a kind of pick up service for Alzheimer’s patients, especially for those who live at home. The city bus is already a recognizable item within society. It is easy accessible and approachable. I believe it can even be a solution for the vacancy of city busses that
The Alzheimerbus On our way together..
www.alzheimerbus.nl 1
drive around without passengers and for the re-use of old city busses. I worked out the interior for one bus, focusing on the Alzheimer’s patients that are called the ’Balance seekers’. They are the middle phase of the disease and they are constantly looking for the right balance between impulses they get from the outside. Designing by means of haptic architecture is a way to make these persons feel comfortable. 34
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