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

建议编号：1264752这项建议为机械工程和护理专业的本科生创造了一个新的合作机会，让他们可以在他们的高级顶峰课程中结成伙伴。他们的顶石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。在这种协作方法中，学生团队将与退休社区的一名老年客户合作，确定他们在日常生活中的工具性活动(IADL)方面面临的挑战，这些活动对独立生活至关重要。团队将利用工程原理和护理实践开发解决方案，以创建适用于老年人日常生活的可用、经济和可靠的设备。以老年人为客户的协作过程将使学生能够洞察用户的需求和要求，并为他们的使用开发定制的解决方案。这一提议的动机是美国老年人数量即将上升，他们希望保持独立并过上充实的生活。如果没有IADL的帮助，他们将需要越来越多的家庭或机构的支持。顶峰设计的重点将是开发经济型辅助设备，既能帮助老年人保持独立，又能帮助他们提高生活质量。该提案通过机械工程系和护理学院的教师和学生与梅森·赖特退休社区(马萨诸塞州斯普林菲尔德)的老年人和工作人员以及犹太老年服务(马萨诸塞州朗梅朵)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合作的环境。智力上的优点：这种创新的合作提供了一个独特的和基本的机会，以培训下一代工程师和护士合作开发解决方案，以应对真正的挑战。护理学生将带来临床知识，以及独特的以客户为中心的观点，在设计过程中成功参与和完成后的适应至关重要。通过平衡的视角，团队中的工程师将能够制定现实的设计规范，以满足患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客户产生重大影响。伙伴退休社区服务于低收入老年人的需求，位于斯普林菲尔德少数族裔人口较多的地区。为这些人创造的辅助设备将让他们有机会保持他们的独立性，这可能是他们因为经济原因而没有的。许多老年人面临着与我们的客户类似的挑战。通过该课程开发的解决方案可能具有商业可行性，并提供机会，通过支持数百万美国老年人的独立性和生活质量来影响他们的生活。工程学和护理学的合作将向学生展示其他专业人员如何处理和解决问题。这种经验将使他们的未来受益，因为他们会教给他们跨学科工作的方法，并给他们机会直接实现其优势。

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.