Designer, researcher and professor Glen Hougan created a program at NSCAD University that puts an emphasis on designing products for seniors.  In today’s show he talks about how he’s helping his students understand some of the physical limitations we all face as we age and how a project undertaken with the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia gave his students a chance to look at the actual brains of people with Alzheimer’s.  He also talks about how medical products reinforce negative stereotypes about aging, how ageism affects the way those products are designed, how older adults are hacking everyday products to make their lives easier and how design thinking can improve health systems.  Tune in for a fascinating conversation with an out-of-the-box thinker.

Make life easier for the older adult in your life with these simple product hacks: Glen’s Pinterest Board
Read the New York Times article referred to in the podcast: Hacks Can Ease The Trials Of Aging
More about Glen’s work: Nova Scotia College of Art and Design

Music: “Discovery” by Jon Luc Hefferman | CC BY NC | Free Music Archive