Possible Solution 3

Here is my third possible solution. It incorporates a simple dead bolt, a compact motorised hinge and door opening button.

Deadlock

The deadbolt lock is simply to give the door the security of a high quality deadbolt which is important to have in a front door to prevent robberies. 

 Compact Motorised Hinge 

This type of motorised hinge would be very desirable do to its compact presentation. The problem would be that a motor this small my not have the torque to open the door if it were to jam in the frame.

Door Opening Button

There is a button for the elderly person to press to trigger the door opening mechanism. This means that the elderly person still has to turn a key (which they would like to be able to do) and still have the dorr opened automatically with a very discreet and compact hinge mechanism.



Opinions
Good Points

1. Key is again familiar
2. Discrete
3. Secure

Bad Points

1. There would be a lot of strain on the motors in the hinges as they could only be small and old doors are heavy
2. A button would be strange for the old person

Things to Think About

1. The key is very important to incorporate in my final design.
2. I think that the old person would like to have to lock the door on the inside after they come in as older locks work this way so it would be less of a transmission.I think that the motors in the hinges may be too noisy with the work they would have to do which would not be ideal for an elderly person.

Possible Solution 2

Above is my second possible solution. It incorporates a simple dead bolt, a sprung bolt, a car door popper solenoid and a central locking style key to open the door.

Door Popper Solenoid

The reason for incorporating a door popper solenoid is that is will give the user help with only the first part of opening the door (where the door is liable to jam). This means that it is not as obvious that the person is getting help as the solenoid is discreet and it only opens the door a small amount.

Central Locking Style Key

I have incorporated central locking style key to this design also. This is so that the elderly person does not even need to turn a key to get into the house. This eliminates the pressure on the person's wrist while turning the key.

Opinion
Good Points

1. Very simple
2. Doesn't involve cosmetic changes like big boxes, sensors etc.
3. Discrete

Bad Points

1. The door doesn't close itself
2. Unfamiliar as there will be no key
3. Old person may forget to lock the door after them as they need to press an extra button

Things to think about

1. The discreteness of this design would be welcomed by an old person.
2. The old person will not lose face with their friends as it is not obvious that they are being helped.
3. A key would be best I think as old people are so used to using them and it is engrained in their lives, so if it was to be taken away then the person would surely miss it at his/her age.

Possible Solution 1

Above is my first possible solution. It incorporates mortise lock with a hybrid electronic and analog key, an infra read beam and an electric motor powered door opening mechanism to open the door for the elderly person. 

Mortise Lock with Hybrid Key

The reason I have decided to have a hybrid key is that it will still give the elderly person the feeling of using a key, which they are accustomed to but gives them the added security of the electronic component which will prevent the lock from being picked.

Infra-red Beam

The infra-red beam detects when the elderly person has safely walked through the door and gives the opening/closing mechanism the signal to close behind the person.

Electric Motor Powered Door Opening/Closing Mechanism

The reason for there to be  an automatic door opening and closing mechanism is that it reduces the elderly person's physical strain while entering their house. It also prevents the elderly person from getting stuck outside of the house due to the door jamming.


Opinions

Good Points

1. Familiar to older people
2. The old person won’t have to think about closing the door
3. No effort for the person whatsoever

Bad Points

1. Expensive
2. Big ugly box on the door
3. A lot of installation as there are lots of peripherals

Things to think about

1. The concept is good but I think it could be made smaller and less obvious as older people like their houses looking good
2. The fact the mechanism (mortised lock) is familier to the old person will help him/her to adapt to the idea of the new door, Which is very important.