Integrative Capstone Experiences for Engineering and Nursing Students to Enable Independence for Older Adults

工程和护理专业学生的综合顶点体验，使老年人能够独立

• 批准号: 1264752
• 负责人: Frank Sup
• 金额: $ 12.45万
• 依托单位: University of Massachusetts Amherst
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-09-01 至 2019-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1264752&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Integrative; Capstone; Experiences; Engineering; Nursing

PI: Sup IVProposal Number: 1264752This proposal creates a new collaborative opportunity for undergraduate mechanical engineering and nursing students to partner in their senior capstone courses. The focus of their capstone design projects will be to develop assistive devices for older adults that will help them maintain quality of life and retain independence. In this collaborative approach, teams of students will work with an older adult client from a retirement community to identify challenges they are having with Instrumental Activities of Daily Life (IADLs), which are as essential for independent living. Teams will develop solutions using engineering principles and nursing practices to create usable, economical, and reliable devices that fit into the daily life of the older adults. The collaborative process with older adults as clients will enable the students to gain insight into the user's needs and requirements and develop solutions that are customized for their use. This proposal is motivated by the impending rise in the number of older adults in the United States and their desire to remain independent and lead a fulfilling life. Without assistance with IADLs, they will require increasing levels of support from family or institutions. The capstone design focus will be on developing economical assistive devices that can both help older adults maintain independence and quality of life. The proposal creates a stimulating and collaborative environment for the proposed projects through the synergistic partnership between the faculty and students in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and School of Nursing and the older adults and staff at Mason Wright Retirement Community (Springfield, MA) and the Jewish Geriatric Services (Longmeadow, MA).Intellectual Merit: This innovative collaboration provides a unique and essential opportunity to train the next generation of engineers and nurses to work collaboratively developing solutions for real challenges. The nursing students will bring clinical knowledge, as well as a unique client-centered perspective crucial for successful engagement during the design process and adaptation when completed. With a balanced perspective, the engineers on the team will be able to develop realistic design specifications that capture the requirements and constraints of the challenges faced by older adults with age-related disabilities.Broader Impact: The technology developed for these projects will have significant effects for the older adult clients who volunteer. The partner retirement communities serve the needs of low-income older adults and are situated in an area of Springfield with a large minority population. The assistive devices created for these individuals will give them opportunity to maintain their independence that they may not have had for economic reasons. Many older adults have similar challenges that our clients will have. The solutions developed from the course may have commercial viability and offer the chance to affect the lives of millions of older Americans by supporting their independence and quality of life. The collaboration of engineering and nursing will demonstrate to the students how other professionals approach and solve a problem. This experience will benefit their future by teaching them methods for interdisciplinary work and giving the opportunity to realize its advantages first-hand.

主要研究者：辅助IV提案编号：1264752这项建议创造了一个新的合作机会，本科机械工程和护理专业的学生在他们的高级顶点课程的合作伙伴。他们的顶点设计项目的重点将是为老年人开发辅助设备，帮助他们保持生活质量和保持独立性。在这种合作方式中，学生团队将与来自退休社区的老年人客户合作，以确定他们在日常生活工具活动（IADL）方面面临的挑战，这对独立生活至关重要。团队将使用工程原理和护理实践开发解决方案，以创建适合老年人日常生活的可用，经济和可靠的设备。与老年人作为客户的协作过程将使学生能够深入了解用户的需求和要求，并开发出适合他们使用的解决方案。这项提议的动机是美国老年人数量即将增加，他们希望保持独立并过上充实的生活。如果没有IADL的帮助，他们将需要来自家庭或机构的越来越多的支持。顶点设计的重点将是开发经济的辅助设备，既可以帮助老年人保持独立和生活质量。该提案通过机械工程系和护理学院的教师和学生以及梅森赖特退休社区的老年人和工作人员之间的协同伙伴关系，为拟议的项目创造了一个激励和协作的环境（斯普林菲尔德，MA）和犹太老年服务（隆格梅杜，马萨诸塞州）。智力优点：这种创新的合作提供了一个独特而重要的机会，培训下一代工程师和护士合作开发解决方案，真实的挑战。护理专业的学生将带来临床知识，以及独特的以客户为中心的观点，这对于设计过程中的成功参与和完成后的适应至关重要。团队中的工程师将能够以平衡的视角开发出切合实际的设计规范，以满足有年龄相关残疾的老年人所面临的挑战的要求和限制。更广泛的影响：为这些项目开发的技术将对志愿服务的老年人客户产生重大影响。合作伙伴退休社区服务于低收入老年人的需求，并位于斯普林菲尔德的一个地区，有大量的少数民族人口。为这些人设计的辅助设备将使他们有机会保持自己的独立性，这是他们由于经济原因而可能没有的。许多老年人面临着我们的客户所面临的类似挑战。该课程开发的解决方案可能具有商业可行性，并通过支持他们的独立性和生活质量来影响数百万美国老年人的生活。工程和护理的合作将向学生展示其他专业人员如何处理和解决问题。这一经验将使他们的未来受益，因为他们将学习跨学科工作的方法，并有机会直接了解其优势。