How to Start a Conversation on Aging, Mobility, and Driving
This book was designed as part of a Department of Design course at The Ohio State University in the Spring of 2017. The project team was a blend of graduate students and residents at the Ohio Living Westminster-Thurber community in Columbus, Ohio.
Our project team first gathered because of a shared interest in aging and public space. We set out to explore and co-design (collaborative design) on this topic with no set objective. Initial project directions included physical spaces, memory, activity, fall prevention, hearing loss, and activities of daily living.
At the beginning of the 15-week semester, we explored these ideas further in workshops and discussions. One topic continued to surface: driving. Each of us (young and old) had stories of an older adult who we knew should not be driving, and yet, few of us took action. We, like many, did not want to be the ‘bad guy’ or seen as pushing someone to ‘hang up the keys.’ Both of which are horrible notions that we wished to address.
So our journey to address ‘how’ we can start that discussion began during our weekly meetings. We used our experiences to guide the design. Our hope is that this book can be the thing that empowers you to start your conversation–with compassion and love.
