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A Design-study of Independent Showering Solutions for Elders

Gustafsson, Ville LU and Hansson, Jacob (2022) MAMM01 20222
Ergonomics and Aerosol Technology
Certec - Rehabilitation Engineering and Design
Abstract
Even though healthcare in Sweden is under pressure, assistant nurses are getting more tasks while still being asked to perform the current ones in a non-stressful manner. At the same time, the amount of people in need of assistance is increasing. A person asking for assistance with a basic task such as a shower is daunting. The purpose of this master thesis is to, through a design process, investigate how to make more people independent in the shower and thereby relieving the pressure on the assistant nurses.
During the project, 23 people were interviewed, from physiotherapists and occupational therapists, care recipients to assistant nurses. From this user research, the needs of the care recipients, as well as the caregivers, were... (More)
Even though healthcare in Sweden is under pressure, assistant nurses are getting more tasks while still being asked to perform the current ones in a non-stressful manner. At the same time, the amount of people in need of assistance is increasing. A person asking for assistance with a basic task such as a shower is daunting. The purpose of this master thesis is to, through a design process, investigate how to make more people independent in the shower and thereby relieving the pressure on the assistant nurses.
During the project, 23 people were interviewed, from physiotherapists and occupational therapists, care recipients to assistant nurses. From this user research, the needs of the care recipients, as well as the caregivers, were established. The project identified and focused on three main areas from the recipient’s perspective: reaching the back, reaching the feet, and need- ing hand assistance. Then, multiple concepts were developed to enable a user to perform a one-handed shower. The final prototype, which aimed to fulfill the need for hand assistance, was named ’Double-duty’. ’Double-duty’ was a physical prototype of a shower nozzle where the user could switch on and off the water and apply soap with one hand.
The final tests, which consisted of six qualitative interviews, established that the prototype might help a care recipient be more independent in the shower since it reduces the number of steps. Moreover, it could also help assistant nurses when performing care, and it was also established that the prototype is inclusive rather than stigmatizing towards elders, increasing its chances of adaptation by the target group. (Less)
Popular Abstract (Swedish)
Duschmunstycke som styr vatten och tvål ger en enklare dusch.

Det är en jobbig sanning men faktumet är att vi alla kommer att bli äldre. Detta är inte bara på individnivå utan även samhället i stort. Med ökad ålder så kommer även fler åkommor och begränsningar. Vardagliga uppgifter blir större utmaningar och så småningom kommer kanske så vardagliga saker som att duscha bli ett problem för dig. Därför gjordes ett duschmunstycke som håller dig självständig i duschen.
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author
Gustafsson, Ville LU and Hansson, Jacob
supervisor
organization
course
MAMM01 20222
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
Universal design, human-centered design, shower, elder care
language
English
id
9104164
date added to LUP
2022-12-22 08:21:16
date last changed
2022-12-22 08:21:16
@misc{9104164,
  abstract     = {{Even though healthcare in Sweden is under pressure, assistant nurses are getting more tasks while still being asked to perform the current ones in a non-stressful manner. At the same time, the amount of people in need of assistance is increasing. A person asking for assistance with a basic task such as a shower is daunting. The purpose of this master thesis is to, through a design process, investigate how to make more people independent in the shower and thereby relieving the pressure on the assistant nurses.
During the project, 23 people were interviewed, from physiotherapists and occupational therapists, care recipients to assistant nurses. From this user research, the needs of the care recipients, as well as the caregivers, were established. The project identified and focused on three main areas from the recipient’s perspective: reaching the back, reaching the feet, and need- ing hand assistance. Then, multiple concepts were developed to enable a user to perform a one-handed shower. The final prototype, which aimed to fulfill the need for hand assistance, was named ’Double-duty’. ’Double-duty’ was a physical prototype of a shower nozzle where the user could switch on and off the water and apply soap with one hand.
The final tests, which consisted of six qualitative interviews, established that the prototype might help a care recipient be more independent in the shower since it reduces the number of steps. Moreover, it could also help assistant nurses when performing care, and it was also established that the prototype is inclusive rather than stigmatizing towards elders, increasing its chances of adaptation by the target group.}},
  author       = {{Gustafsson, Ville and Hansson, Jacob}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{A Design-study of Independent Showering Solutions for Elders}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}