Simple hacks for life with Parkinson's | Mileha Soneji

Translator: M. Carmen Losada Reviewer: Pablo Figueiredo Palacios

In India, we have these huge families.

Na India temos familias enormes

I bet a lot of you all must have heard about it.

-aposto a que moitos de vostedes teñen oído falar diso-

Which means that there are a lot of family events.

o que implica que hai moitas xuntanzas familiares.

So as a child, my parents used to drag me to these family events.

E de nena, os meus pais adoitaban arrastrarme a estas xuntanzas.

But the one thing that I always looked forward to

Pero polo único que eu sempre devecía

was playing around with my cousins.

era xogar cos meus primos.

And there was always this one uncle

E sempre estaba este tío meu

who used to be there,

que acostumaba estar aí

always ready, jumping around with us,

sempre disposto a brincar con nós,

having games for us,

a facernos xogos,

making us kids have the time of our lives.

para que os rapaces o pasásemos en grande.

This man was extremely successful:

Este home tiña un éxito tremendo:

he was confident and powerful.

era moi seguro de si e forte.

But then I saw this hale and hearty person deteriorate in health.

Pero vin como se lle deterioraba a saúde a esta persoa sa e robusta.

He was diagnosed with Parkinson's.

Diagnosticáronlle párkinson.

Parkinson's is a disease that causes degeneration of the nervous system,

A enfermidade de párkinson causa a dexeneración do sistema nervioso,

which means that this person who used to be independent

o que implica que para esta persoa noutrora independente

suddenly finds tasks like drinking coffee, because of tremors, much more difficult.

de súbito tarefas coma tomar café, por mor dos tremores, son dificilísimas.

My uncle started using a walker to walk,

O meu tío comezou a usar un andador para camiñar,

and to take a turn,

e para virarse,

he literally had to take one step at a time, like this,

literalmente tiña que dar un paso de cada vez, así,

and it took forever.

e leváballe unha eternidade.

So this person, who used to be the center of attention

Así a todo, esta persoa afeita a ser o centro de atención

in every family gathering,

en todas as reunións familiares,

was suddenly hiding behind people.

repentinamente agachábase detrás da xente.

He was hiding from the pitiful look in people's eyes.

Agochábase da mirada compasiva dos ollos da xente.

And he's not the only one in the world.

E el non é o único do mundo.

Every year, 60,000 people are newly diagnosed with Parkinson's,

Cada ano, diagnostícanse unhas 60.000 persoas máis con párkinson,

and this number is only rising.

e esta cantidade vai en aumento.

As designers, we dream that our designs solve these multifaceted problems,

Os deseñadores soñamos con arranxar estes problemas poliédricos,

one solution that solves it all,

cunha solución que o resolva todo,

but it need not always be like that.

pero non ten que ser sempre así.

You can also target simple problems

Podemos centrarnos en problemas simples

and create small solutions for them and eventually make a big impact.

e crearlles unha pequena solución e acadar á fin unha mellora de impacto.

So my aim here was to not cure Parkinson's,

Por iso o meu obxectivo non era curar o párkinson,

but to make their everyday tasks much more simple,

senón facer as súas tarefas cotiás moito máis doadas,

and then make an impact.

para logo acadar unha mellora.

Well, the first thing I targeted was tremors, right?

Ben, o primeiro que acoutei foron os tremores, non é?

My uncle told me that he had stopped drinking coffee or tea in public

O meu tío díxome que deixara de tomar café ou té en público

just out of embarrassment,

só pola vergoña que pasaba,

so, well, I designed the no-spill cup.

así é que eu deseñei a cunca antiderrame.

It works just purely on its form.

É simplemente a súa forma a que a fai funcionar.

The curve on top deflects the liquid back inside every time they have tremors,

A curva do bordo desvía o líquido cara dentro cando hai tremores

and this keeps the liquid inside compared to a normal cup.

e mantén o líquido dentro, ao revés dunha cunca normal.

But the key here is that it is not tagged as a Parkinson's patient product.

Pero o importante aquí é non etiquetala para o párkinson.

It looks like a cup that could be used by you, me, any clumsy person,

Parece unha cunca para ser usada por ti, por min, por calquera torpe,

and that makes it much more comforting for them to use, to blend in.

e iso fai moito máis reconfortante o seu uso, a integración.

So, well, one problem solved,

Moi ben, un problema resolto,

many more to go.

aínda queda moito que facer.

All this while, I was interviewing him,

En todo este tempo estiven a entrevistalo,

questioning him,

a preguntarlle,

and then I realized that I was getting very superficial information,

e decateime de que obtiña información moi superficial

or just answers to my questions.

ou só respostas ás miñas preguntas.

But I really needed to dig deeper to get a new perspective.

Pero eu necesitaba certamente afondar ata unha nova perspectiva.

So I thought, well, let's observe him in his daily tasks,

Por iso pensei, ben, observemos as súas tarefas cotiás,

while he's eating, while he's watching TV.

mentres come, mentres mira a televisión.

And then, when I was actually observing him walking to his dining table,

E entón, cando estaba a observar como ía cara á mesa de xantar

it struck me, this man who finds it so difficult to walk on flat land,

dixen: como este home, que ten dificultades co piso chairo,

how does he climb a staircase?

pode subir polas escaleiras?

Because in India we do not have a fancy rail that takes you up a staircase

Posto que na India non temos cadeiras elevadoras para subir

like in the developed countries.

coma nos países desenvolvidos,

One actually has to climb the stairs.

un ten que ascender de feito polas escaleiras.

So he told me,

E nisto díxome el:

"Well, let me show you how I do it."

“Ben, vouche ensinar como o fago.”

Let's take a look at what I saw.

Vexamos o que vin.

So he took really long to reach this position,

Levoulle moito tempo adoptar esta posición

and then all this while, I'm thinking,

e no entanto, eu estaba a pensar

"Oh my God, is he really going to do it?

“Meu deus, vaino facer realmente?

Is he really, really going to do it without his walker?"

Vaino facer realmente sen o andador?”

And then ...

E logo...

(Laughter)

(Risas)

And the turns, he took them so easily.

el vírase, e súbeas moi facilmente.

So -- shocked?

Así é que... abraiados?

Well, I was too.

Ben, eu tamén.

So this person who could not walk on flat land

Ou sexa que esta persoa que non camiñaba polo chairo

was suddenly a pro at climbing stairs.

de súpeto podía subir as escaleiras.

On researching this, I realized that it's because it's a continuous motion.

Durante a investigación vin que era polo movemento continuo.

There's this other man who also suffers from the same symptoms

Tamén temos este outro home que sofre os mesmos síntomas

and uses a walker,

e emprega un andador

but the moment he's put on a cycle,

pero cando senta nunha bicicleta

all his symptoms vanish,

esfúmanse tódolos síntomas

because it is a continuous motion.

porque é un movemento continuo.

So the key for me was to translate this feeling of walking on a staircase

Así que eu só tiña de trasladar a sensación de andar polas escaleiras

back to flat land.

ao piso chairo.

And a lot of ideas were tested and tried on him,

E probamos e puxemos en práctica moitas ideas con el,

but the one that finally worked was this one. Let's take a look.

pero a que funcionou ao final foi esta. Botémoslle unha ollada!

(Laughter)

(Risas)

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

He walked faster, right?

Andou máis rápido, non si?

(Applause)

(Aplausos)

I call this the staircase illusion,

Eu chámolle a isto "ilusión das escaleiras"

and actually when the staircase illusion abruptly ended, he froze,

e de feito, cando a ilusión das escaleiras acabou de súpeto, el paralizouse

and this is called freezing of gait.

e isto chámase "conxelación da marcha".

So it happens a lot,

Como isto acontece moito,

so why not have a staircase illusion flowing through all their rooms,

por que non ter a ilusión das escaleiras ao longo de tódolos seus cuartos,

making them feel much more confident?

para facer que se sintan máis seguros?

You know, technology is not always it.

Saben? A tecnoloxía non o é todo.

What we need are human-centered solutions.

O que nós precisamos son solucións centradas no ser humano.

I could have easily made it into a projection,

Eu ben puiden crear unha proxección,

or a Google Glass, or something like that.

ou unhas gafas Google ou algo parecido.

But I stuck to simple print on the floor.

Pero fiquei cun simple debuxo no chan.

This print could be taken into hospitals

Este debuxo podería levarse aos hospitais

to make them feel much more welcome.

para facelos sentir máis benvidos.

What I wish to do is make every Parkinson's patient

A min o que me gustaría acadar para os pacientes de párkinson

feel like my uncle felt that day.

é que se sentisen coma o meu tío hoxe.

He told me that I made him feel like his old self again.

Díxome que eu lle permitira sentirse el mesmo outra vez.

"Smart" in today's world has become synonymous to high tech,

“Intelixente” no mundo de hoxe en día é sinónimo de última tecnoloxía,

and the world is only getting smarter and smarter day by day.

e o mundo é máis e máis intelixente día a día.

But why can't smart be something that's simple and yet effective?

Pero por que non pode ser intelixente algo tan sinxelo e tamén efectivo?

All we need is a little bit of empathy and some curiosity,

O que precisamos é algunha empatía e algo de curiosidade.

to go out there, observe.

para saír aí, para observar.

But let's not stop at that.

Mais non o deixemos aí!

Let's find these complex problems. Don't be scared of them.

Atopemos estes problemas complexos. Non lles teñamos medo.

Break them, boil them down into much smaller problems,

Quebrémolos, reduzámolos a problemas máis pequenos

and then find simple solutions for them.

e logo atopémoslles solucións simples.

Test these solutions, fail if needed,

Comprobemos estas solucións, erremos se é preciso,

but with newer insights to make it better.

pero con novos coñecementos para mellorar.

Imagine what we all could do if we all came up with simple solutions.

Imaxinen o que poderiamos acadar con todas as nosas solucións simples.

What would the world be like if we combined all our simple solutions?

Como sería o mundo se combinásemos todas as nosas solucións simples?

Let's make a smarter world, but with simplicity.

Fagamos un mundo máis intelixente, pero con simplicidade.

Thank you.

Grazas.

(Applause)

(Aplausos)