Living Life Archives - Page 18 of 19

The home that watches over your parents: Is it for you?

Activity-tracking Home Sensor Systems are new products designed to help seniors stay in their homes longer, and to help their family and friends worry about them less. If you worry about an elderly relative or friend who spends a lot of time home alone, and are concerned about what would happen if they fell, or if they left the stove on, or if they had an accident and you were not there to help, then these products are designed with you in mind.

We wanted to find out if they work well yet? And which ones work best (there are quite a few)? And for which types of people and types of circumstance are they suitable?

We set out to answer questions like these in this research project which is a collaboration between Tech-enhanced Life’s internal analyst team, and a group of Citizen Observers and Citizen Evaluators.

Timer Based Gas Control

I envision a gas burner control that has a “turn timer” like you might find on a bathroom heat lamp. The dial has some internal spring activated timer. Advancing the control winds the timer. As time passes the timer winds down and eventually returns to the Off position. How long the timer stays in the … Read more

Forget to Turn the Stove Off

Once or twice a month I leave the stove on after fixing breakfast. Most of the time I realize that I have left the stove on but it may be an hour or two after breakfast. I worry about what might happen as a result of this forgetfulness.

Seniors: Co-creating the future of aging, Marin

On May 1, Richard Caro will be talking on Cocreating the future of aging in Marin. This event is sponsored by Marin Villages, and is open to the public.

iForget

Lately, I have noticed that my short term memory is worsening. It happens most often while at home. I may go from one room to another to fetch something, and by the time I get there, I’ve forgotten what it is I’m fetching (or even that I am fetching anything). This may happen at any … Read more

Mobile Tablet App for 3-player Hearts with Video Conference

The solution I envision (and I would love other thoughts on this) is an app that runs on Android or iOS (cross platform is great. Single platform works. Either platform is ok with me). Each person playing hearts would have their own tablet. They would be able to rendezvous with their card partners. Each tablet … Read more

How to Articulate a “Problem”

At our last Meetup we spent a lot of time talking about how to articulate a “problem” in a useful way that can lead to solutions and effective brainstorming. We also tested out the process by having participants stand up and discuss the “problem” they care about with the circle. This article is a reference to remind everyone how to articulate a “problem”.

Arthritis sufferers need better clothing options

Here is my story. My mother has severe arthritis. Finding clothes for her is hard because she cannot put them on or take them off easily. Listen to the discussion of the problem at a meeting of the Longevity Collective.

What does it mean to brainstorm topics? Next steps for co-creation

I noticed that many of the topics from our last meetup were framed as solutions or ideas for solutions — not as topics or areas on which we might want to collaborate as a group. I thought it would be useful to discuss the differences between topics and solutions, and share my thoughts on what we might tackle next as a group.