SB1: Research (Problems Elderly People Face in the Kitchen)

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/d38b/e35cb19f25d5356d15f0caf45b3f81eb905d.pdf

Ageing Population: Difficulties in the Kitchen

After doing initial research on the topic, I found that maybe I took the wrong approach to it and have decided to review it again, Upon reviewing I found that it was best for me to pick a specific problem which I could tackle within the topic. One that stood out to me was the problems elderly people face in the kitchen and the ageing population today, which is rising and will continue to rise in the future.

In the UK, 18% of the population were aged 65 years and over, whilst 2.4% aged 85 and over. Seeing this, more kitchen design should be more focused on accommodating to the elderly generation.

Physical Difficulty Reasons

• Health Problems - older people naturally will have more health problems especially physical ones, such as arthritis and other bone, muscle and joint problems which will hinder them from doing movements in the kitchen particularly while cooking e.g. cutting vegetable, getting pans. In addition, most of the accidents happen in the kitchen (where 9.7% of accidents happen at home *2002).

"These difficulties are because of the inability of the older individual to meet the environmental and tasks demands."

• Bad Kitchen Design - the bad arrangement and layout of the kitchen is another reason why elderly people struggle in the kitchen. Such as low hoods and cookers or positioning the container cabinets too low which meant older users have to adopt to an awkward bending position all the time, not helping the fact that they could also develop or worsen their health problems. Furthermore, this can result to bad cooking performance and bad kitchen time in general making them feel less motivated and less will in communicated during meal preparations. 

• Safety - "Main causes are the age-related changes and the design of the kitchen environment."

"a continuous worktop is very useful for older people so that they can slide things along without having to lift anything"  

*low hoods were a concern as older people won't realise they still retained heat after being turned off, resulting in burns and scalds. 

*opening tins (especially for key operated and ring pull tins requiring significant amount of strength and awkward position to open it with).  *Maybe focus on this as a lot of older people may struggle with this ?? 

https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/dspace-jspui/bitstream/2134/22283/3/Maguire_1216-6644-2-PB.pdf

• Kitchen Ergonomics - "One area for ergonomic guidance is to provide dimensions for the kitchen environment such as heights of worktops and shelving. For example, a survey by Ward (1971 and 1972) of kitchen worktop and sink heights, which drew from research conducted between 1943 and 1968, produced a number of recommendations. " p 73 

Having an optimum kitchen sink height of 90 - 105 cm, worktop 85 - 100 cm and cooker of 85 - 100 cm. However, this does not always apply to everyone and may not even beneficial at all for some people as people will need custom measurements for themselves; highlighting the need for adjustable kitchens. 

Emotional/ Social Aspects

• Social (Past Memories) - Compared to the houses the elder generation grew up in, houses now and smaller and often furnished and equipped. However, overtime as the income the family size increases they will acquire other appliances and equipment which are more efficient and useful. 

In the past(1920's-1930's) English kitchen where much more larger and a variety of activities were done in the kitchen, creating a warm and engaging environment for all the family members. 

"family members would talk, read, listen to the radio, mend clothes, bake or make jam, do homework, play board games, prepare and eat meals and do the laundry. Allied spaces, such as the scullery or utility room, were highly valued ‘back kitchen’ areas with a Belfast or Butler sink, where laundry equipment such as the copper, the wash board and the mangle might be stored and used, or where food preparation or even bathing might take place" 

Modernised social etiquette changed the ways in which where families eat their dinners, there's been various ways in which have also changed the kitchen layout and the areas around it, e.g. "kitchen hatch’ linking the kitchen to the dining room, the ‘hostess trolley’, and the ‘through room’—a single lounge dining room which become a multipurpose space for leisure, social interaction and eating meals"

Not creating "walls' in which where activities should be done has resulted in a "multipurpose space for leisure, social interaction and eating meals", and also means that there's a lot more significance to the kitchen in a way as it's a place where all meetings can take place in the house, hence why it's important to create a good kitchen space layout, that can accommodate older members of the family. 

https://www.slideshare.net/design-engineering/kitchen-report

On the other hand, elderly people also suffer from psychological hardships as much as they suffer physical ones (if not worse). These problems are:

• Loneliness
• Fears of being injured e.g. burning themselves or falling
• Having to be independent or being dependent on someone

These problems may also contribute to the fact that they are having a hard time navigating in the kitchen thus, decreasing their effort to do anything in the space in the first place. Instead, of feeling productive, they somehow feel that it's a chore and fear the kitchen in turn.

• Place Attachment - elderly people may prefer their homes more due to the experiences and memories that they had overtime, such as spending time with their family/ friends. Also, it's a way for them to solidify and have pride in being independent and being stable while aging etc.