It's all about independant living!

Between 2008 and 2030, Singapore will witness an age profile shift in its population. In 2005, 1 in 12 residents was 65 years or older. By 2030, 1 in 5 residents will be 65 years or older. Quoted by Ministry of Community Development, Committee on Ageing Issues (2006).

Declining birth rates and general advancement in healthcare technology have resulted in people having longer lifespan and a larger ageing population in Singapore. The impact of an ageing population on economics, politics, education and lifestyle is no longer an isolated issue but a global concern. For the next 30 years, such significant changes in Singapore will present enormous opportunities for design that renders assistance to the elderly in their daily living, which are crucial in helping them cultivate independent living. The elderly who are experiencing a gradual process of physical failing, in most cases require some form of support in order to gain the freedom to make preferred choices in their golden years. The ability to make their own choices allows them to gain a sense of dignity; a very core value of a human nature. The feeling of not being controlled or limited in any way restores a sense of confidence in them and promotes self-respect. This will allow them to make decisions that lead them to their desired quality of life. Generally at the average age of 65, the elderly will experience an increase in functional limitations and most of them would have at least one or more chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure etc. In order to gain or maintain personal competence and independence, the elderly will have to rely on products that are customised to enhance their living quality. This is especially in terms of their medical assistance that affects life and death. 

This research starts with the observation that many elderly people do not understand instructions on the medicinal labels issued by their family doctor, local hospitals or pharmacies. Many of them are not educated in English, hence they have difficulty in remembering the purpose or intake instructions of their different medications. 

S Gopinathan, Anne Pakir, Ho Wah Kam and Vanithamani Saravanan states,

Then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew once said that the persistence of dialect use among school children explains why Mandarin failed to become the more widespread language used among the Chinese in Singapore during his speech for the launch of the ‘Speak Mandarin Campaign’ in 1979. There were a series of campaigns following the speech, which included introductory courses in conversational Mandarin, organisation of forums, and panel discussions and so on within the local community. (2003, p.24)

As a result, then Minister for Education Tony Tan commented “Mandarin has overtaken dialect as a home language for Chinese pupils” (The Straits Times, 9 October 1987). This is the make up of many of today’s elderly, where Mandarin is their main language. However, there isn’t any ”Speak English Campaign” carried out in the last 20 years until the ‘Speak Good English Campaign’ launched in April 2000.

Besides the language barrier, elderly with deteriorating eyesight would also encounter difficulties in reading medicinal labels with fine print. As we grow older, the dynamics of our senses will gradually decline. We may even develop a sensory impairment in these later ages. Blur vision starts to develop and hence visuals with too many details do not work well for elderly.

According to James J. Pirkl, ‘As we age, our visual lens stiffens and loses its elasticity, thereby inhibiting us from changing its curvature and adjusting our focus. In time our eye muscles weakens and contracts with increasing difficulty. These conditions reduce the refractive power of the cornea-lens systems, extend our near-point of focus, and hamper our ability to read fine print’ (1994, p.45). 

Poor eyesight in old age is unavoidable. As we age, the skin surrounding of our eyes loses it elasticity to support our visual lens and hence stiffens it in due time. Therefore, older people with their waning eyesight would have difficulty in reading the fine prints on medicinal labels. This poses the biggest barrier to better communication for elderly people, especially those who do not receive care from their immediate family members or caregivers. 

Hence, this research argues on the design issue, where a solely linguistic medicinal label do not communicate critical information to older people that is much needed for the proper administering of the medicine to aid patient recovery. In a technologically advanced society like Singapore, we have sufficient resources to bring convenience to the lives of the general public. The current medicinal labels may be useful and comprehensive to well-educated adults and those in the medical profession, but it definitely does not work well for the elderly. 

Indication in Chinese text were common for local elderly to
understand and remember the use of medicines.