We worked on an empathy map for elderly people. It was a challenge to put yourself in the shoes of someone so different to yourself and it was also hard to generalise a huge population. Many factors change depending on if the elderly person were living in a rest homee or in a house, by themselves or with others ect... I think its really important though to get into the head of the person you are trying to design for. The next best step would be to actually talk to some elderly and see what they think about the issue of lonilness/are they lonely?
Paloma (20) & Mary (90)
Tallulah's friend Paloma has created a friendship with a 90 year old woman. We wanted to find out more about this relationship. Here is Tallulahs recap of chatting with Paloma...
I talked to my friend Paloma from New Plymouth, who is studying Social Work and has worked in retirement villages. She has developed a friendship with a 90 year old woman named Mary, who is her mums third cousin. Paloma was really close with her grandma and unfortunately she passed away a few years ago and it really hit Paloma hard. She would always be over at her grandma’s for a special cooked breakfast and activities. So when her mum was going to visit Mary who had fallen ill, Paloma decided to come along although she had never heard of this third cousin and didn’t really know what to expect. However, upon arrival Paloma and Mary hit it off and Paloma decided to take her over some food throughout the week and check up on how she was doing. Nowadays, Paloma takes her out for coffee or to get her groceries or see a movie. She says they talk about the same things because Mary repeats herself a lot. They discuss family and her life stories, but Mary is also interested in Paloma’s life and how things function in the world today.
Here are some pics of Paloma (left), Mary and Tia (Paloma’s younger sister, right).
