The Need for a Paradigm Shift in Approaching Ageing-Related Design Research and Practice

Elena Comincioli; Alice Chirico; Andrea Gaggioli; Masood Masoodian

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.750178

The Need for a Paradigm Shift in Approaching Ageing-Related Design Research and Practice

Front Psychol. 2021 Nov 2:12:750178. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.750178. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Elena Comincioli¹, Alice Chirico², Andrea Gaggioli³, Masood Masoodian¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Arts, Design and Architecture, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.
² Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milano, Italy.
³ Department of Psychology, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milano, Italy.

Abstract

Despite a rapidly ageing world population, ageism - particularly in its implicit form - is widespread in society. In this article, we propose that a paradigm shift is needed in how we approach ageing-related design research and practice in areas such as assistive technologies. We also put forward the idea of using the Healthy Ageing (HA) framework of the WHO as the basis for new lines actions that can be taken by design researchers and practitioners to address implicit ageism in society through their work.

Keywords: ageing population; ageing society; ageism and age-based discrimination; design for ageing; healthy ageing; healthy ageing framework; implicit ageism; positive psychology.