First Proposal

PROPOSAL

Mobility is important for community independence. With increasing age, lower 

physical ability and health condition, increase the risk for mobility decline. We observed that

physical and social mobility are the problems that mostly older people face. While physical is

related to the ability to move from place to place, social mobility holds a role as a movement

of individuals, family, household between social strata in the society. We are focusing on the

social mobility problems among the elderly and what we are trying to solve and achieve.

In Singapore, 8.2% of the older people in the residence living alone (Department of 

Statistic Singapore 2010).  Elderly who is living alone mostly having many challenges. Their

family members might had passed away or their children don’t give enough attention to them.

Moreover, they might have no friends to communicate with. Research proved that older

people that has lack of communication between one and another tend to have health

problem then others who has a sharing community. However, it’s important to prevent a

condition of being social isolated in the community.

Our group empathizing ourselves as an 71 years old woman that lives alone in a HDB 

flat. Her only son lives in the States, and she has widowed since 5 years ago. She used to be a

housewife and relied all financial matters to her husband. She has no specific activities or

hobbies to fill in her routines. Lack of  having conversation with others makes her has a poor

social mobility. Sense of loneliness and desperate reflected on her eyes.    

With our understanding of the persona’s problem, we realized that social interaction is 

very important. Having a place for sharing, to communicate with others and being accepted in

the society are all they need. Therefore, we would like to find ways to engaging them in some

activities in the community to make them staying connected with others. The activities

offered may help the elderly solve their problems in social mobility, such as the usage of the

gadgets and the applications related to them.