Innovative Design of Transformed Assistive Tableware (TAT) for the Elderly

Abstract

Purpose Transformed assistive tableware (TAT) is an innovative tool, which not only does facilitate the convenience of eating for the elderly, but also is useful for people who bring it out. At the same time, TAT is a storage to save the assistive tableware, including chopsticks and a spoon (Chang, 2007). Regarding its figures, the TAT with modern design manifests the users’ noble tastes and brings them in vogue. Therefore, TAT is also beneficial to the elderly to use in public, without embarrassed feeling of using conventional assistive tableware. Even though assistive tableware are usually discussed and designed by geriatric technologists, there are a few designs cover the convenience and transformed storage of assistive tableware (Ho, 2021). Furthermore, there are few considerations for designing the figures, colors, or transformed storage for assistive tableware. Consequently, the elder people avoid using assistive tableware because they are inclined to regard its functional design is for handicapped people. The TAT is useful design for practical application, which eliminates the inconvenience of taking, using, and saving problems of a conventional assistive tableware. Method The design of TAT should abide by the concept of auxiliary design, including: 1. It is suitable for human body; 2. It is suitable for symptoms; 3. It is suitable for living conditions (Lee, 2006). Only with these three core considerations can we meet the needs of users. According to these requirements, we design the TAT as a set of spoon and chopsticks (Figure 1). the design of the spoon and the gradual widening of the tail of the spoon handle can also reduce the occurrence of food dropping. Chopsticks design because of the traditional separation of chopsticks, need to have the skill of exerting force, it is not easy to pick up food, and easy to slide, so the design of chopsticks, using the auxiliary device to fix chopsticks, to fix the chopsticks body to prevent the phenomenon of "falling", make the operation easier and avoid the falling of food caused by shaking. The TAT (chopsticks and spoons) which are often used in daily life are combined into one piece. This design is convenient for storage and carrying. In addition, its innovative design looks like an ornament to dress on necklace for avoiding lost (Figure 2). It can be a vogue design for the elderly with dementia escaping from the discrimination or ageism. Results and Discussion The TAT was designed can not only help the elderly and the people with physical disorders, but also improve the problems of hand shaking or disharmony, which is inconvenient to take tableware. It was developed to provide a convenient, multifunctional with concept of universal design to inform the development of more inclusive age-friendly environments. Since its inception, this practical perspective have informed the progression of universal design initiatives to better understand the utensil for the elderly- for enhancing their life quality and lifting their ability of self-control. According to the results, further development and impact of leading-in the TAT still needs deeper examination into the multi-layered aspects in which shape a new idea for pursuing better life quality for the elderly across place and time.