Aiding Independent Living
Engineering for Humanity - 2012
Occupational Therapy for Seniors
THE PROBLEM
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Due to the gaps between her stove burners, a local senior had a cooking accident which led her to question her ability to live without constant assistance
THE SOLUTION
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My team and I observed and interviewed the user to assess her needs, values, strengths, and weaknesses (both real and perceived)
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We proposed a simple, DIY pottery trivet solution and enabled the user to participate in its design and construction
THE CLUES
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Purchasing a new stove would be prohibitively expensive
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Preventing this one issue would not address the underlying lack of confidence
THE AFTERMATH
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The gap on the stove was bridged with a handmade art piece designed and crafted by the user
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The experience renewed the user’s confidence in her ability to solve her own challenges and continue living independently
Tools: SolidWorks, Clay Forming Tools, Kiln
Techniques: Occupational Therapy, Opportunity Identification, User Co-design, Comparables Research, User-Centered Experience, Sktech Modelling, Ceramic Crafting