Designer, researcher and professor Glen Hougan created a program at NSCAD University that puts an emphasis on designing products for seniors. In today’s show he talks about how he’s helping his students understand some of the physical limitations we all face as we age and how a project undertaken with the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia gave his students a chance to look at the actual brains of people with Alzheimer’s. He also talks about how medical products reinforce negative stereotypes about aging, how ageism affects the way those products are designed, how older adults are hacking everyday products to make their lives easier and how design thinking can improve health systems. Tune in for a fascinating conversation with an out-of-the-box thinker.
Glen’s “Product Hacks for Seniors” board on Pinterest: http://bit.ly/2bTn0hW
New York Times article referred to in the podcast: http://nyti.ms/2b9nK20
Music: “Discovery” by Jon Luc Hefferman | CC BY NC | Free Music Archive
