[How did I conclude this?]

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Sara is what I would call a pilot persona for seniors confined at home. She is a foundation case that could be used to further uncover other types of seniors’ needs and tasks at home. The information on this profile used material prompts from Sara’s house. These objects led her to share stories about her life after 20 minutes of survey questions.

Approximation of Sara’s white living room straight out from an IKEA catalogue - a wall bookcase, books, photos, sculpture

Let’s start the interview...

Sara blurted out that she was rejected by her family of origin. With eleven siblings, one presumes that she has an extended family.

I used photo and decor prompts to uncover Sara’s current social and personal status without direct questions.

Who decorated your living room?

She did not know him. “It is not what I want...a friend of my youth had a son without a job.” So, she hired him to do the small job (klushuis).

Who are the people in the photos?

“It came with the frame. I did not choose anything...he (decorator) put too many pictures because of the empty wall...he (decorator) is depressed. I know his mood is sad...better let him do it.”

Do you have contact with your family?

“My sister (favourite) who is ten years (older than her)....when she retired, they lived far away...I can’t take the train...I can’t drive...so, I don’t see her anymore...no post, no email...I have a hard time reading...make a feeling (on pictures) is hard...”

Sara’s Profile

Sara is generally alone without close family or friends for support.

In her case, a family does not automatically mean support. Rejection is real.

I used a combination of the material prompts with home observation to extrapolate our own conceptual framework to understand Sara’s current state.

What is this sculpture about? (Find the sculpture in the picture)

I pointed to a cat sculpture. Sara was so excited that she got out of her wheelchair!

“I asked Risa (her housekeeper) to Aalsmeer on Saturday...once a year there’s a festival so she drove me there.”

How did you move here?

Negative answer: “I moved at the same time I divorced my husband...morning divorce, afternoon go to the makelaardij (real estate agent).”

Positive answer: “I did everything myself. Not even my husband helped....”

Patient vs. Person

Bedroom: I glanced inside her bedroom on the way into the house. It was sombre, spare, and outfitted with an alarm cord around the wall.

We were designing for Sara as a patient.

Living Room: A personal and public representation space of Sara that communicates that I am not just a patient. I am a regular person too.

We were forgetting to design for Sara as a person.

Framework and Concepts

Dual approaches such as dependence/independence or patient/person are shifting bodily categories. They occur simultaneously.

Any design or technological intervention must account for both.