The needs of an elderly person and a child of about one years old can be unbelievably similar. Infants and some elderly need the frequent or occasional assistance to walk, cook, eat, bathe, etc. As we begin to grow older, our needs reverse to that of a child. Although their needs are similar, it is important to know the difference between the two kinds of people and the emotions behind their needs. Products for both infants and elderly people should be designed to meet these specific needs. Shoes, for example, need to have carefully designed elements to assist both age groups in putting them on, taking them off, comfortability, and walking. First, it is important to know the emotions that are behind the needs of each age group. We can agree that both infants and the elderly need to be able to walk easily by themselves. However, the emotions that go through an elderly person for accomplishing this, are quite different compared to a child of the age of one or two. When an elderly can walk, or do anything, independently they feel a sense of control, maintaining their dignity, and boosting their self-esteem. The article Why Independence is an Important Part of Elderly Care, (2013) states the following: When …show more content…
However, a study done at Lund University show that the human brain must reach a certain level of development for him or her to begin walking (sciencedaily, 2009). The article, Why does a human baby need a full year before starting to walk?, explains that most infants reach this stage of brain development around one years old. (sciencedaily, 2009). Moreover, this finding can correlate with Jean Piaget’s four stages of development. Piaget, a pioneer in child development, came up with four stages of development; the first stage being Sensorimotor. In the book Psychology, Andrea Bonior explains what happens at the 12 month mark during the sensorimotor stage in the following