Designed by Chulalongkorn University lecturers Toys to promote well-being for the elderly, good for playing or decorating the house

A lecturer from the Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University, has designed “toys and home decorations for the elderly”, an innovation that creates good physical and mental well-being, helps slow down memory lapses and reduces the risk of depression. Most recently, the item won the 2024 Creative Excellence Awards 2024 in the category of creative power for society, reaffirming its success in designing for improving the quality of life of the elderly.

Forms of play and toys are important in promoting human development and well-being, not just for children, but also for people of all ages, especially the elderly.

“Playing will help promote the well-being of the elderly both physically and mentally. The elderly will feel joyful, happy, not prone to loneliness and depression,” said Associate Professor Pornthep Lertthewasiri, a special lecturer in the Art Education Program, Department of Art, Music and Dance, Faculty of Education, Chulalongkorn University.

With over 40 years of experience in designing toys for children and studying human life development, Assoc. Prof. Pornthep said that toys for the elderly are essential. They are also a trend and business opportunity to watch because Thailand is now entering a full-fledged aging society. The number of newborns is decreasing, while the number of elderly people is increasing.

“The development of human life from birth, adolescence and youth to the elderly is like a parabola graph that resembles an inverted bell curve. Newborns are at the left end of the graph, while the elderly are at the right end of the graph, showing the beginning and end in the same way. However, newborns have progressive life development and growth, while the end of the elderly is a downward development. Their physical condition deteriorates, their thinking declines, and they feel discouraged, depressed, and easily bored with life,” said Assoc. Prof. Pornthep. The downward development of the elderly inspired Assoc. Prof. Pornthep to design “home decoration toys for the elderly” in 3 forms: Thai counting, decorative mandalas, and blocks and picture frames. These toys for the elderly have been well-received both nationally and internationally. Most recently, Assoc. Prof. Pornthep received the 2024 Creative Excellence Awards in the Creative Social Impact Awards category in the Creative Well-Being Award category from the Creative Economy Agency (Public Organization), an organization under the supervision of the Prime Minister’s Office.

Toys for the elderly must come with respect and understanding

When it comes to toys, many people think of the forms and characteristics one associaes with toys for children. But what does the style or appearance of “toys for the elderly” look like?

“Toys for children and toys for the elderly differ according to their life experiences. Children are not as careful and thoughtful as adults. Toys for children must be designed according to safety standards. Toys for the elderly must be designed so that the elderly can play without feeling awkward that they are playing with toys for children,” said Assoc. Prof. Pornthep, adding that designing toys for the elderly must adhere to the design principles of Empathy Design for Elderly.

Empathy Design for Elderly Concept

In designing home decoration toys, Assoc. Prof. Pornthep applies Bloom’s Theory of Taxonomy, which describes the development of 3 aspects of human beings:

• Cognitive Domain: intelligence, memory, understanding, and attitude
• Psychomotor Domain: physical skill development
• Affective Domain: mind, attitude, and morality

“Toys for the elderly are designed to maintain the capabilities and development of the elderly covering all 3 aspects, allowing the elderly to enjoy themselves, stimulate them to think, remember, and convey.”

Math is fun, move your memory with “Nub Thai”

Nub Thai (Thai Counting) is a home decoration and toy that helps the elderly practice their calculation and memory skills, which is a development in the Cognitive Ddomain related to intelligence, memory, and understanding.

In the toy box of “Nub Thai”, there are numbers 1-9, built as higher units one by one and built to match the higher size according to the number. The front is in the form of a Thai numeral, while the back is Arabic numeral. In addition, there are also Chinese and Japanese numerals designed. The lid of the number storage box can also be used as a writing board.

“Elderly people may be forgetful or accidentally count incorrectly. Playing “Nub Thai” will help the elderly refresh their memory on the subject of numbers and calculations,” said Assoc. Prof. Pornthep, explaining the game, “If the question asks what 3+2 equals, the player must connect the number 3 block to the number 2 block. The result is the number 5 block, which is as high as the height of the number 3 and number 2 blocks combined.”

“Mandala” Adds color and imagination to life

A mandala is a creative art in a circle form. Most of the time, it is drawn. But for Decorative Mandala, the elderly do not need to have particular skills or talent in drawing. All they do it to create an art form.

“This toy consists of decorative pieces attached with Velcro. The elderly can arrange the pieces on the felt fabric to create a pattern according to their imagination. These pieces can be easily removed and reattached. The elderly can design many mandalas by repeatedly attaching the pieces in a circle and expanding the circle. This promotes endless imagination, creates a sense of aesthetics, happiness, and reduces boredom in daily life,” explained Assoc. Prof. Pornthep.

“And when you have a piece of art that you like, you can use it to decorate your home, as a picture frame on a table, or hang it up. The back is a board for drawing by hand.”

Steady Hands and Steady Minds with Blocks and Picture Frames

Blocks and picture frames are home decorations and toys that come in geometric shapes, such as circles, squares, and rectangles. Each block has a notch so that players can put the pieces together to form different patterns, such as placing the pointed end of a triangle on the notch of a curved block.

“When putting these pieces together, you need to concentrate and keep your hands steady,” said Assoc. Prof. Pornthep about the benefits of toys that will promote physical and mental development for the elderly.

Once you have assembled the pieces into your favorite photo frame, you can put your favorite photos or memories in the block tray on the back and use it as a photo frame. And when you wish to change it, you can take the pieces and reassemble them to make a new, unusual photo frame that is not boring.

Play together, fun activities for all ages (Collaborative Play)

Asst. Prof. Pornthep described “Toys and home decorations for the elderly” as toys that the elderly can play alone, but it will be better and better if there is a “playmate”.

“If there is someone to invite to play, it will be even better, whether it is an adult child or a child grandchild. Children and the elderly can play together. It promotes warmth and strength to the family institution and trains kindness and empathy.”

“Toys and home decorations for the elderly” are designed to be safe and suitable for people of all ages. Asst. Prof. Pornthep said that the materials of all 3 toys are made from MDF (Medium Density Fiber Board), crushed wood chips and pressed with glue to be a substitute material for wood. And maintain the safety standards of toys for early childhood (Standard Safety Toy) according to the European standard EN71 and the American standard ASTM. In addition, in assembling toys for the elderly – decorative mandalas and picture frame blocks – Asst. Prof. Pornthep has invented a special locking technique called Slot Paper Joint, which is a joint without using nuts or nails. which is the unique invention of Assoc. Prof. Pornthep who has registered the invention patent and the product design patent from the Department of Intellectual Property, Ministry of Commerce.

Future Trends of Toys for the Elderly

Assoc. Prof. Pornthep disclosed how he has taken “Home Decoration Toys” to test the fun derived by the elderly in some care and nursing homes. For example, recently, he brought decorative mandalas to the elderly at Sawang Khaniwat, Thai Red Cross Society. The feedback from the elderly players was satisfactory. In addition, Assoc. Prof. Pornthep also brought toys for the elderly to show at the Innovation Invention Contest in Shanghai, China, and received a lot of attention from visitors.

“Right now, what we can do is test satisfaction and efficiency, such as helping to stimulate memory. But to test whether toys can help slow down memory loss or not, it requires quite a lot of research funding.”

The feedback from the players showed Assoc. Prof. Pornthep the future direction that there is a need to develop toys for the elderly. He would like to see cooperation between brain doctors and psychiatrists to test the efficiency of toys for the elderly to see if they can slow down memory loss and reduce depression.

“In the future, we may see toys designed according to the behavior or physical symptoms of the elderly, such as toys that help warn against being tricked by call centers, medical devices designed as toys to exercise the lungs and bronchi. “A gimmicky photo frame that reminds the elderly of their happy memories,” Assoc. Prof. Pornthep explained the concept behind the toy development.

“The elderly still have the ability and experience to pass on to society. Therefore, we want “toys” to help maintain their abilities and create well-being for them for a long time. Finally, it is about building family relationships and strengthening Thai society.”

Toys for the Elderly: Business Opportunities in an Aging Society

Assoc. Prof. Pornthep offered his opinion on the toy market for the elderly, saying that toy manufacturers are taking existing toys, expanding or expanding the age range, but it is still unclear which manufacturers are serious about designing toys for the elderly, even though it is a large market (in 2023, the number of elderly people in Thailand is approximately 13 million out of a total population of 65 million, accounting for 20% of the elderly population, and in 2024, the elderly population will increase to 21-22%).

“The overall business model for toys for the elderly in Thailand is still unclear. Most of them are about therapy, such as exercise equipment to prevent muscle weakness, trigger finger, and body aches. However, toys for developing cognitive, affective, and skill domains are still not available in the toy market for the elderly in Thailand.” This is a gap that Assoc. Prof. Pornthep sees and is planning marketing. Currently, “Nub Thai” toys with Chinese characters are already available at King Power Duty Free. Mandalas for home decoration and blocks and picture frames are still prototypes. Assoc. Prof. Pornthep will submit these toys for the elderly to a competition first, in order to gain acceptance and recognition of the design hypothesis. Then we will plan for further production and marketing expansion.

In the future, Assoc. Prof. Pornthep has plans to create a website to provide knowledge about the health of the elderly and create a small community for the elderly to find knowledge and activities. At the same time, there will be sales of toys for the elderly on the website. For those interested in “Toys and home decorations for the elderly”, for inquiries, further development or sales, please contact Ms. Somruthai Lertthewasiri at clampittoy@gmail.com

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