DESIGN CONCEPT
With the global population aging, oral motor skills have attracted much attention. Products for swallowing rehabilitation on the market seem hard to stably attract the elderly for daily use, which leads to unsatisfied results. ORAL MOTOR KIT is designed for the elderly with dysphagia to restore oral health. It includes sweet and sour liquids and can be quickly assembled and simple to operate before meals, which can improve the willingness of daily use for the elderly.
Dysphagia is a serious medical condition, According to a survey sponsored by Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology in 2018, the prevalence of Dysphagia ranges from 10%-30%, and it also affects between 300,000 and 700,000 individuals in the USA each year.
Although there are treatments of various kinds, research indicates that the compliance of oral rehabilitation for elderly who did not take interventions within six weeks is only 10%-20%. Namely, the compliance is 80%-90 % for those who take interventions, and the difference increases with time. It appears that the outcome of rehabilitation is highly affected by the intervention usage.
Linking Rehabilitation with Taste Memory
The overall shape and design of the product are similar to food so this product becomes an appetizer and connects with the eating experience of the main meal.
Because of the speech therapist's instruction that swallowing disorders require a weekly visit, a set of 7 pills was used to remind the user of the daily dosage and the time of the visit.
Learning from the origami structure, designing the structure to close the holes without giving pressure, and opening the holes when squeezing to allow the liquid to flow out slowly from the inside.
How to Use
Oral Rehabilitation Exercises:
Effortful Swallowing Motion + Rhodes Method
&
Tongue Strengthening Exercise
IDEATION
