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What is it like...to be old?

I'm curious
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Experience the daily life of an elderly.

Are you ready for a new perspective?

Yes, I am

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Your character has the following information:

You will now go through an elderly's day in first person.

Hello

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6:00AM

I woke up. I tried to go back to sleep, but I couldn't.

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7:00AM

I hear a knock at my bedroom door.

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Christine

Christine is my daughter-in-law. She now lives with me, my son, and my two grandchildren. She has a job as a certified accountant.

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Good morning Emily!

Please choose a reply:

Hey, Christine.
Hi, how are you?

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Christine

Christine is my daughter-in-law. She now lives with me, my son, and my two grandchildren. She has a job as a certified accountant.

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I'm off to take the kids to school and go to work now. See you later!

Please choose a reply:

Okay, see you.
Alright, take care.

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Steve

Steve is my son. Like Christine, he is also living with me. He is a software engineer.

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Hey mom, I'm off to work now. See you!

Please choose a reply:

I'll see you.
See you later, son.

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7:30AM

My family left for work and school.

I should look for things to do to pass my time.

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Breakfast that Christine makes for me. Contains oatmeal, toast, and juice.

As you grow older, your digestive system slows down and your teeth become more sensitive.

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My photo album. It has photos of my family and my friend, who passed.

As you grow old, so do your memories. Many elders tend to look back to the past for a sense of nostalgia.

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Notes Christine wrote for me. I check them daily to help me remember.

Over 16 million people aged 65 or older have age associated memory impairment.

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Sometimes I like to listen to the radio for some nostalgia.

Elders typically enjoy songs from when they were more involved with music.

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Knitting helps me get through the day faster.

Hobbies such as knitting are common amongst elders due to the time they take up.

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This is a photo of my husband and I. He passed away a year ago from lung cancer.

Cancer is one of the common yet lethal health issues that elders experience.

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You are now in your bedroom. Click around to explore.

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6:00PM

Christine, Steve, and the kids returned from home.

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They all go on to do their own tasks.
I want to talk to them, but they seem really busy.

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Sometimes I wonder if I'm a bother to them.
I'm wondering if I should move to a senior housing.

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10:00PM

It's getting late. I decided to get some sleep.

Looks like tomorrow will just be another regular day.

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Being alone can be challenging.
Yet, this is what seniors face everyday.

But you can stop this from happening.

Stop the Loneliness

About

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An Elder-nary Day is an interactive and immersive visual story that serves to provide understanding on the physical and mental health of elders. The story utilizes a first-person perspective, hoping for the user to feel empathy for the problems elders face everyday.

On average, an elder spents 64 percent of the day alone. This can lead to feelings of loneliness, which is one of the major risk factors of mental health problems in elders. By 2050, 180 million to 400 million elders will be suffereing from mental health issues.

So why isn’t this something that we think about?

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Solving this problem isn't as hard as you think.

These simple actions can help reduce the loneliness of the elders you love:

Spend time with them.
Hold sincere conversations with them.
Let them know that they're loved.

For more information on the mental health of elders, visit:

World Health Organization
National Council on Aging

You can also support by donating to a foundation that puts the elders' mental health first:

Geriatric Mental Health Foundation