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

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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.