I am designing a bed for elderly living in an old age home...Wow!..I like the topic..
I visited three old age homes and met around 25-30 senior citizens that includes both females and males..
Also I went home at Trivandrum to interview my dear grandmother :)
Ok..this is the update...
Design brief:
To design a bed for the elderly living in an Indian old age home (Age > 60).
- Elderly might have mild to moderate arthritis and hence the bed should allow the user to get in, lie down, get up and get out of the bed easily.
- The bed should support comfortable back rest which is needed while relaxing.
- Design should provide necessary width needed for comfortable sleeping posture of the elderly.
- The bed should have facility to prevent accidental falling from the bed.
- The bed that can be easily assembled and disassembled.
- When assembled, the bed should be strong and stable and comfortable for sleeping.
- Cost of the bed should be within 10000 Rs, which might be affordable for an elderly from middle class back ground.
Mind maps to start with...
Later selected few ideas after evaluating them based on the criteria established in the design brief...
Now I will convert them into viable concepts..
13-03-2010
Few points that came to my mind after observing motion analysis video..
Changing postures while lying on bed:
To turn towards right lateral posture from supine posture:
- I have to turn my hip to the right
- I have to take my left leg close to buttock
- I will apply pressure on the bed to push the hip towards right
- I have to turn my shoulder to the right
- I will take my left arm to the right side of the chest
- I will lift the left shoulder towards right
- I have to align remaining parts of the body in rest position - spinal cord, head, legs, etc
To turn towards supine posture from right lateral posture:
- I have to align my hip
- I have to take my left leg from top of my right leg to the bed surface
- I have to align my shoulder
- take left arm to back side of the body, on the bed surface..then tilt the shoulder
- I have to align remaining parts of the body
Points to remember:
* Hands could get more strengh when it is infront of the body and away from the body...(I think there will be an angle)
* Pulling is comfortable because the hand will be in contact with the object till it reaches near the body
* Pulling surface has to be precise and has to follow the dimensions of the finger tips
- So locating the object and holding it correctly may take additional effort
* Pulling/pushing can be difficult if the object is close to the body
* Pushing surface has to be wide so that palm can rest on it
* Raised head-shoulder willl help the user to get up easily since less effort is needed to lift the shoulder (33% of body wt) later.
Role of the leg in lying posture:
* To change the posture of hip, to lift hip
* Toes can help it to touch and feel a location
* If leg is dropped from the bed, then hip (44% of body wt) will be following its thrust
Role of hand in lying posture:
* To change posture of shoulder
* To lift shoulder - palm and elbow
* To touch and feel - fingers
* Push, pull, hold
Role of hand in sitting posture:
* Hand is used as a support while sitting, for lifting the body
* It is used as a pivot by which the hip is turned while in the bed
Questions for the moment:
i) Why are we using hand first while sitting on the bed?
ii) Why are we sitting on the edge of the bed while getting up from the bed?
iii) What do you mean by mild to moderate arthritis?
iv) Why legs and hands are stronger when they are used together (like locked together)? i.e. hand-hand / leg-leg
Questions I should be expecting by end of this project:
i) How this bed can be called as bed for elderly?
ii) Did u design a bed or did u design facilities(add-ons) on bed?
iii) How is this bed helping the people who have arthritis or knee pain or knee swellings?
iv) Have u noticed possible accidents that can happen because of the facilities you provided?
v) Have u analysed possible postures a user can have while using this bed?
vi) Do you need to train the user to teach how to use this bed?
13-03-2010
Time: 11:30 AM
Today I will make a rig model that can be used to determine the height needed for the bed and the angle needed at the edge for comfortable getting in and getting out...If you could recollect I said that elderly needs to come to the edge while getting up..I believe it is because of the angle that thigh forms with the lower leg..I couldnot recollect its name...if the angle is greater than 90 then it is comfortable...in case person is sitting well inside the bed then the buttock which act as cushion allows the hip to come lower..what I meant is the angle there is lesser than 90 so the elderly or anybody for that matter has to come to the edge to get up...Gotcha!!
I will also create develop concept for one idea (of the seven)...let me say...10 variations...that will do for today...
14-03-2010
Time: 11:30 AM
<==Rig model
<==Y'days Concepts/ideasThen discussed about the reason behind the additional strength when two hands or two legs are locked together and used (I still do not know)..Then about the push I was getting on top part of the body when I was forcing my leg forward in the supine posture..(I still do not know)..But for elderly their knee joint problem will not help them to do these exercises...
I have told my professor that I will meet him again in another two or three days with whatever concepts I have made..though I said that easily I am still wondering how am I going to do that..
Tasks ahead:
Make concepts - renderings - 3d model - mockup mode
Test the rig with elderly to find out the height and angle required..
Thatsitfornow!!!!
