Livsmestring gjennom omgivelsene: En salutogen tilnærming til hjemmet som en utvidet arena for eldre

This master’s project in the study product design - design for complexity approaches health through the theory of salutogenesis, meaning the origin of health. Salutogenesis differs from the traditional pathological approach to health. It focuses on the cause of health rather than the cause of illness, and can be related to health-promoting work. This forms the theoretical framework for the design project. The design project focuses on the national health policy strategy that more elderly people should live at home. This is investigated through design practice, in the form of case studies and the development of solution proposals. The purpose of the project is to show that this strategy means that the public sector provides an environment that safeguards the health of the elderly as much as possible. This is shown through four case studies, which study different aspects of our environment. In addition, the home is being investigated as an extended arena, from the home to the neighborhood, the local area and the municipality you live in. The project thus also shows what it means to live at home. Findings from the case studies on the environment are combined with research in salutogenesis, and form the basis for the conceptual direction for the project’s design solution. The project proposes three design proposals. These are a tool for life management, a service for long-term planning and co-creation of housing associations, and ten principles for sustainable solutions that can contribute to increased quality of life and freedom for the elderly and their relatives. The design proposals all emphasize the experience of meaning in life, in line with salutogenesis. The project is mainly aimed at municipalities and other actors in urban development, but also society in general and individuals with their families. It also wants to illustrate the value of having a salutogenic approach to issues related to health. The project emphasizes how design can be an important tool for implementing this approach to a greater extent in health and other areas of society. The project also contributes with new design thinking through the use of salutogenesis. It also facilitates a development within a new design knowledge and practice by showing the combination of and the interplay between spatial design and service design