Format When creating publications for the elderly, it is important to consider readability and ease of use. Here are some ideas that may help in developing the layout and choosing the materials for a document: - Keep the format simple, such as single sheets folded in half like a book. Using a familiar format can help prevent the elderly reader from becoming confused with the material. Avoid bi-folds or tri-folds for documents such as pamphlets.
- Use paper that is heavy enough and textured enough for easy turning. Elderly people with arthritis or other problems affecting manipulation with their hands will have difficulty turning pages if the paper stock is too light.
- Use spiral binding whenever possible. Spiral binding allows the material to stay open to a page much easier than other types of binding.
- Keep your written materials small and lightweight. The publication should weigh a maximum of 32 ounces, and be no larger than 9-inches by 12-inches by 2¼-inches in dimension. This will make it easier for a person with diminished strength to handle.
- Use titles, headings, and topic sentences. This will make your topic or purpose more readily apparent to the reader.
- Never use vertical type for words. This may confuse the reader, as people are accustomed to reading horizontal text.
- Print tables or graphs horizontally on the page. Printing illustrations sideways cause difficulty for elderly readers.
- Place items that are consistently used throughout the material, such as graphs, in the same location on each page. This consistency will create a degree of familiarity for the reader.
- Provide sections that tell readers both what they need to know and what they need to do. Highlight action steps to make them stand out.
- Put definitions directly in the text where they will be most helpful to the reader. Hunting through a glossary is a burden on the reader, and makes it more difficult to follow the text.
- List the most important information first, and make it easy to revisit. This helps to ensure that the reader gets the main details they need.
For more information related to format, see the sections on print settings, contrast, writing style, spacing, highlighting information, and illustrations.
Further reading on format can be found in: Designing Instructional Text for Older Readers: A Literature Review. Author: James Hartley. British Journal of Educational Technology, 1994. 25(3): 172-188. Printed Materials for an Aging Population: Design Considerations. Author: Ireta Ekstrom. Journal of Biocommunication, 1993. 20(3): 25-30. Return to Resources
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