Elderly Challenge - Observation 2

Eyesight problems

I observed that the elderly’s eyesight is not very good and in some cases, deteriorate so drastically that they require medical treatment. It is very troublesome to not be able to see clearly unless the person is optimistic about life. It is also expensive to go for a medical treatment so that is a problem for poor people. Some things we can do is to help them navigate and guide them towards their destinations. We can also donate to organisations which subsidize healthcare services.

Elderly Challenge - Observation 1

Walking difficulties
I observed that an elder had trouble walking and needed a caregiver to support her. I think we can help them to walk to their destination by supporting them and warning them of obstacles such as drains which are not covered. We can also reduce the risk of the elderly accidentally injuring themselves due to such obstacles by reducing the number of obstacles. This idea can be incorporated into the design of homes so they are more elderly-friendly.

Understanding the "The Elderly Challenge"

Explain in your own words, the FOUR key recommendations of the report.

1) Housing for Seniors: Elder-Friendly Housing
This recommendation is to help the elderly to meet their needs and live with their families and the community without many of the difficulties which the elderly have to face.

2) Accessibility for Seniors: Barrier-Free Society
This is to make the transport system of our country's infrastructure more elderly-friendly so the elderly can reach their desired destinations safely and without much disruption.

3) Caring for Seniors: Holistic and Affordable Healthcare and Eldercare
This is to provide more services to meet the needs of the elderly and make the services more accessible and affordable.

4) Opportunities for Seniors: Active Lifestyles and Well-Being
This is to help the elderly lead a more active and healthy lifestyle in which they get involved in activities related to the community and have better relationships with their family members and the people in the community. It is also for teaching and encouraging people to have a better attitude towards ageing and the elderly.

State ONE way that the CAI report is recommending to make our public housing more elderly-friendly

HDB has various schemes in place so as to ensure that the elderly can live in an environment which they are familiar with with minimum disruption of their lives.

State TWO ways on how we can ensure that the quality of elderly care here in Singapore is affordable

We can contribute to foundations that subsidize the cost of elderly care services by donating to them.

We can build our own common fund for helping to subsidize the cost of elderly care services through the donations from the people of the community who are willing to help.

After reading the CAI report, what do you think are the THREE things that you can do, as an SST student, to help overcome these elderly challenges

I think I can help to physically support an old man to overcome physical obstacles such as staircases and roads.
I think I can gather committed people and get them to help me raise funds for donation to charities for the elderly.
I think I can conduct some research in which I observe, record, analyse and conclude about the problems that the elderly face so I can come up with an invention to address the needs of the elderly.

Personal Reflection (NEwater visit)

1. What are the 3 key takeaways from today’s visit?

I learnt about how we get water from the four national taps, the processes used in NEWater technology and the equipment used in the processes.

2. Name 2 concepts that you have learnt today during the visit.

I learnt the concept of reverse osmosis and ultra-filtration.

3. What is the 1 interesting thing that you have learnt today?

I learnt how NEWater works.

4. What are the things that you can do to help with water conservation in Singapore?

Turn off the tap when not in use.

Use a pail when washing a car instead of a running hose.

Use the water used to wash rice to water plants.

Use a pail when showering instead of a running showerhead.

Personal Reflection (8th Mar 2010)

1. What are the 3 key takeaways from today’s lesson?

We should provide enough statistics in our presentation so there is proof that supports what we are trying to propose.

We should simplify our words so laypersons can understand the information.

We must do sufficient research so we would not propose something which has already been done.

2. Name 2 concepts that you have learnt today pertaining to design and describe why is it important in design?

Practicability and authenticity

It must be at an economical cost and be easily be applied to the situation and easily maintained so people will want to use it.

It must be authentic so people will want to use it as they know it is special.

3. What is the 1 interesting thing that you have learnt today?

I learned how to give a good presentation and the criteria for making a good proposal.

Photography (People)

This is the notice board I regularly walk past as I enter the school or walk towards the canteen.

This is the passageway I usually take after I enter the school or when I am going to the canteen.

This is the platform next to the passageway where many of my schoolmates alight at.

My class is left of the center of this image which is the part of the corridor which is open-aired so I like to stand there as it is very bright on sunny days and cool on rainy days.

Miscellaneous: When is the best time for photography?

Lighting is the most important element in photography.Warmth, depth, texture, form, contrast, and color are all dramatically affected by the angle of the sunlight, and thus the time of day. Shooting at the optimum time is often the biggest difference between an 'amateur' and a 'professional' shot.

In the early morning and late afternoon, when the sun is low, the light is gold and orange, giving your shot the warmth of a log fire. Professional photographers call these the 'magic hours' and most movies and magazine shots are made during this brief time. It takes extra planning, but saving your photography for one hour after sunrise, or one to two hours before sunset, will add stunning warmth to your shots.

Photography

1) Different types of photography

Advertising ,Aerial, Architectural, Astronomical, Baby,Black and White, Cityscape, Commercial, Concert, Digital, Documentary, Equine, Family, Fine art, Food, Glamour or fashion, Infrared, Landscape, Macro, Nature, Night, Pet, Portrait, Seascape, Travel, Underwater, Wedding and Wildlife Photography

2) Equipments

cameras, lenses, flashes, tripods, and camera cases

3) Aperture

opening that determines the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane

4) Focus

The adjustment to place the sharpest focus where it is desired on the subject.

5) Shutter Speed

It is the adjustment of the speed of the shutter to control the amount of time during which the imaging medium is exposed to light for each exposure. It can be used to control the amount of light striking the image plane. Quicker shutter speeds can be used to decrease both the amount of light and the amount of image blurring from motion of the subject and/or camera.

6) ISO speed

he measure of a photographic film's sensitivity to light, determined by sensitometry and measured on various numerical scales, the most recent being the ISO system. Relatively insensitive film, with a correspondingly lower speed index requires more exposure to light to produce the same image density as a more sensitive film, and is thus commonly termed a slow film.

7) Metering

Measurement of exposure so that highlights and shadows are exposed according to what the photographer wants.

8) White Balance

we adjust white balance to get the colors in our images as accurate as possible.

9) Composition (Rules)

Rule of Thirds : The human eye is naturally drawn to a point about two-thirds up a page. Crop the photo so that the main subjects are located around one of the intersection points rather than in the center of the image.

Golden Section Rule : Certain points in a picture's composition automatically attracts the viewer's attention.

Diagonal Rule : Important elements of the picture should be placed along the diagonals formed from halving the picture, then dividing the pictures into three parts with the adjacent side divided so that the lines connecting the resulting points from a diagonal frame.

10) Techniques

Photographic Composition, Center of Interest, Subject placement, Simplicity, Viewpoint, Camera Angle, Balance, Shapes and Lines, Contrast, Framing, Foreground, Background, Perspective, Basic Lighting Techniques and Composition & Basic Shots.

Sources:

http://photoinf.com/General/NAVY/Photographic_composition_Balance.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photography

http://www.photographytips.com/page.cfm/30

http://photography.about.com/od/photographyequipment/Photography_Equipment.htm