Universal design: the home for the elderly users
Minini, Mirella . Universal design: the home for the elderly users. Rel Maritano, Delfina and Lacirignola, Angela . Politecnico di Torino, 2. Faculty of Architecture, Degree in Architecture , 2007
Abstract
With the shortening of young players and remain more pronounced in the lives of older generations, one of the main problems of the developed countries has become one of the aging population, the increase in both number of older people and of their proportion of the overall population.
It is a demographically inevitable process which must be in its extraordinarily positive facts, such as significant advances in medical science through the control of epidemic and infectious diseases, reducing child mortality, the evolution of surgery and diagnostics, Advances in prevention and therapy and a general increase in the quality of life, especially from the point of view of sanitation and nutrition.
Aging Therefore, in developed Western countries, is the result of the occurrence of two events: the significant lengthening of life expectancy and the decline in births, of what has changed profoundly in recent decades, the population structure.
Under the awareness about the increasing weight class occupied by the elderly in society and the condition of old age as one of the phases of age inevitably characterize the life of every individual, it is logical and should not relegate to the needs of older margins of social debate, but instead return them within those of the global society.
can not be attributed to population old characteristics uniquely defined, as the old physical, biological, psychological and often do not coincide. In fact, older people can maintain a highly efficient psychological and, often, good memory, attention, logic and creativity, even if accompanied by a physicist in an advanced state of senile involution, or sometimes people look older, while maintaining that the physical characteristics relatively young, are showing signs of mental deterioration.
Whatever your situation, the older person can be in a state of disability because of multiple phenomena, a condition defined as a limitation or loss of ability to perform activities as or within the limits considered normal for an individual.
However, you can look at the disability of two diametrically opposite points of view: considering the disability only in terms of what we can not do because of its limitations, or in terms of what can be done independently, positive finding and also exploring novel ways. This latter meaning, in line with the "International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) the World Health Organization has promulgated in 2001, seems the most consistent with the new way of conceiving the person characterized by difficulty physical or sensory impairments.
The designer, to develop interdisciplinary spirit and consciousness with the built environment, must consciously choose to look at what point of view, but in any case it is necessary to cultivate knowledge of the many conditions and restrictions related to specific disabilities that affect humans in its relationship with the world. A report to evaluate if any changes are necessarily progressive disability over time and of the unstoppable process of aging.
Often, the worsening of the condition of the elderly requires that adjustments be made of the domestic space, if you want to avoid that the individual is away from home and placed in una struttura assistenziale. Questi interventi di adeguamento devono tuttavia essere preliminarmente previsti in sede di progetto, al fine di minimizzare le opere necessarie.
Il tema della permanenza degli anziani nella propria abitazione, salvaguardando le abitudini consolidate, restando partecipi dell'ambiente e dei luoghi con i quali si hanno legami affettivi, mantenendo saldi i rapporti con parenti e amici della vita quotidiana, si oppone come una sfida progettuale per l'architetto, chiamato a riscoprire il valore sociale della propria professione e motivato dalla volontà di trovare soluzioni realizzabili per innalzare la qualità della vita nella terza e quarta età.
Occorre, quindi, che il progettista adotti uniforma mindset towards the future, which will enable it to develop good projects not only in the short term, but flexible and easily adaptable over time as needed.
emerges clearly, however, especially in the case of residential building dated, that an operation of adjustment is influenced decisively by the state of housing, often, unfortunately, far from the minimum accessibility requirements. Many constraints can indeed restrain the designer in preparing the plan of adjustment, but must also be incentives for finding alternative specifications.
Going beyond the standards to improve the quality of life of older people, , and more generally to all individuals, is therefore not only possible but highly desirable to form the design culture is essential for architects.
The continuous evolution of technological progress also now allows for experts to respond more effectively and leading to disability issues through the provision of sophisticated equipment, automation systems and home automation.
Accessibility generalized spaces constructed can be understood as a discipline aimed at the maximum enhancement of the autonomy of each individual, through careful planning of space, regardless of the condition psychophysics is located in, on a temporary or permanent, ensuring a smooth and wider use of all the habitats where there is the daily life of man.
The project is just as capable of being a professional interpreter and mediator of the needs and the needs of people, but its role can not be resolved in attention to prevailing aesthetic, economic or specific to a category from those of functional and social commitment , threatening to carry out projects that are ill adapted to the needs expressed by users.
In this regard, the innovative concept of the universe! Design in relation to the project, it involves a new kind of design, nor a specialization, but in a design methodology through which the designer ensures that its products or services meet the needs of as many people as possible, regardless of the psycho-physical condition of each. It challenges the architects to go beyond compliance with minimum standards and characteristics of specific users, to find solutions that include the needs of different recipients. People who have reduced mobility or sensory impairments should be made available easily, as those without disabilities, of all physical space, with a successful reduction of the sources of danger, situations of hardship and fatigue.
The need is clear, therefore, is that an attitude who can pay more attention to you, who will be the consumer of the project.
E 'need to rethink the man, or rather the human being: his being a man or woman, an entity which evolves from child to senior person in the course of life may have a temporary or permanent changes, and have characteristics different from the "normal" defined by the conventions that have proved inadequate.
To define the size and morphological characteristics of the environment in order to balance diverse needs, in fact, it is necessary to define a framework of needs to consider an extended profile "expanded audience."
should not refer anthropometric data only to an individual's "normal" ideal, but to consider aspects of needs that concern all those who, on a permanent or temporary, have special needs. This is intended to highlight the need for the designer to adopt a new approach to the project, a holistic approach that considers the issues in the user logic extended.
main point of Universal Design, or Design for all, it is the availability of places and equipment are configured to be used usually by a wide segment of the population, free of architectural barriers, sources of danger and fatigue. Especially housing, urban spaces and its equipment must be able to respond effectively and smoothly to the real needs of man, from childhood to old age, gradually adapting over the years.
This mindset implies, therefore, achieve a greater awareness of the architects about their social role, and the need to deal with the commercial offering of a market as diverse as possible. Because there is a real change and a share of this objective, it is necessary to conduct a broad awareness of the issue in respect of architects and designers in general.
Starting from the considerations related to the issue of "aging population, and increasing the spread of the fees of the University! Design, it was decided to focus work on the category of older people, because the senile involution may present a very broad and diverse set of diseases and functional limitations, which well suited to the general design goal for users expanded.
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