Intimacy in Accessories

This paper presents a study of three older women and their needsdefining accessories, to understand the relationships betweenthem and their favourite objects, and to clarify why they choose towear them. The women were asked to showcase the accessoriesin their own home; thus the objects became enablers of conversations about personal life experiences of significance, whichcomplemented the thrust of the study. This explorative studygenerated important information about why the women wear whatthey do. The home setting furthermore indulged a free way ofanecdotal conversation and served the study with intimate detailsand rich stories. The findings showed that these accessories areobjects with unique personal qualities and choice; this is obviouslybeyond their functional and material existence. These findings areof interest to the wearable health technology community as theydiscover possible factors to take into consideration when designing such for the older age group and traditionally designed withina biomedical model.