Point of touch
a way to connect with your loved ones
Project Overview
Touch is the most basic and intimate form of communication. We need it like we need air to breathe, and when we don't get enough of it, we feel it on a physical and emotional level.
It's hard to watch a beloved person dying. We want to be with them in their final moments, but also not sure how to approach them. On the other hand- the dying person doesn't want to become a burden.
This delicate situation often causes distancing and separation from the family, and leaves the person alone during their final days.
* This project was created as student project in the Holon Institute of Technology
The Problem
Dying and elderly people don't get enough physical touch from their loved ones.
My Solution
A mediation object to help bridge the gap between the dying person and their loved ones.
Research
Why is physical touch so important?
When you engage in pleasant touch such as a hug, your body releases a hormone that makes you feel good and strengthens your social bonds while lowering anxiety and fear.
When hospice patients recieve physical touch on a regular basis, they show a significant improvment in quality of life.
If you are deprived of touch, there are physical and emotional consequences.
Effects of touch deprivation
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Stress & Anxiety
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Depression
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Weaker immune system
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Low sleep quality
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Higher risk of infection
Pain Points
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Dying person is touch deprived and alone
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Family is scared to get close
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Dying person is scared to ask family members to give them what they need
Project Goals
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Creating a safe environment where the family can get close to their dying loved one.
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Creating a calming and safe place for the dying person to relax by themselves
Use senario
1. Take the object and insert your hand
2. Reach out to the other person while they insert their hand
3. Sit or lay next to each other
Final Design
”You can just pick it up and put your hand in it, and the other person completes it. You don't have to ask or demand.”
Ester
”It gives you a warm and intimate feeling... like it's connecting you to the other person.”
Naor
”When I put my hand in it, I felt like I wanted to climb in and get to the other person."
Ester
Final Design
