Abstract:

The article presents a description of the results of interdisciplinary cooperation related to the performance of studies conducted in the form of Project Based Learning under the project “Silesian University of Technology as a Modern Education Centre Based on Research and Innovations.” The staff and students of the following faculties: Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Architecture of the Silesian University of Technology in Gliwice, Poland, undertook the topic of supporting caregivers in diagnosing elderly patients.

The main didactic goal of the project was to initiate a creative, interdisciplinary process related to the development of teamwork skills, learning about users' preferences and their functional abilities. The practical goal was to improve the conditions of working with dependent elderly people, by designing an item of utility equipment that would improve the care.

The method of analysis and criticism of the literature was used, owing to which the objectives of the project were defined. The main trends in design related to the implementation of new technologies in the environment of a dependent elderly person and their caregiver were indicated, and the way in which they function in the architectural, medical and rehabilitation dimension was analysed. A pilot study was carried out at the Geriatric Hospital in Katowice.

Multiple study techniques were used: structured (expert) interviews with nursing care staff, observations of the use of the ward for people with dementia. The study method was used in design through the design and conceptual work of a rolling med bag for the caregiver.

The result of the studies is a design of a piece of equipment in the form of mobile furniture for caregivers of dependent elderly people, supplemented with a blood pressure monitor, stethoscope, and motion sensors. The model was printed on a 3D printer.

The actions described in the article will concern the organisation of work and the presentation of the final results of the project implemented through the cooperation of the university with the social and economic environment (in this case, a healthcare facility).

Keywords:

Education for experience, professional caregivers, healing environment.