Author: Mark

Workaround #1 – While home brewing beer with my dad, we needed a faster way to cool down the boiling mixture so we set the pot up in a bucket with lots of ice and cold water circulating through via a hose.

Workaround #2 – When we kegged our home brewed beer, we did not have a compatible spout for the keg (since the CO2 tank did not allow a traditional keg tap to be attached). So we cut the hose and spout off of a traditional pony tap and fastened it directly to the keg.

 

Workaround #3 – In order to keep my toothbrush from resting on the sink counter, I put it on the ledge above the mirror where it does not touch anything. This is necessary because of how small my counter top is.

 

Workaround #4 – While driving back to South Bend from Florida, I saw these two guys driving and they presumably did not have working blinkers. I realized this was a workaround when the man in the back seat would use his arm to signal to the other cars that they would be changing lanes.

Today’s Gallery Day FaceTime call with Pat Keran from Optum went well. It was helpful for us all to come together and synthesize all of the research we have individually done up to this point and also see what each of the other group members have done. It was also good to get Pat Keran up to speed with what we have been considering for this project. Between this synthesis of information and Pat’s excellent input, we were able to brainstorm some ideas at the end of Gallery Day to figure out what other research we should do and to also get a more focused and narrowed idea of what problem we want to attack. One of the big things that Pat mentioned to us is that we should begin to consider a more diverse population of retirees, as the concerns and issues will be vastly different for people in retirement depending upon their socioeconomic background or cultural roots.

What I considered to be Pat’s best piece of advice for us moving forward, is to be conscious that whatever innovative idea we choose to move forward with is personalized, accessible, and engaging. These seem to be the three most important factors when considering a population who, on average, can be considered a bit more stubborn or stuck in their ways and resistant to technology in many cases.

Moving forward, I think that some important secondary research should involve taking Pat’s advice on learning about the needs of a more diverse population of retirees and analyzing patterns that exist across people of multiple backgrounds. We will also need to continue to narrow down our focus on what end of the retirement spectrum we will want to consider. We made good progress today in agreeing that we think want to focus on the earlier end of the spectrum and that the spectrum we are considering should not include age discrimination. Throughout all of our research and during Gallery Day, we have learned and affirmed that age does not necessarily have any relation or importance for where you appear on the spectrum of retirement.

Ethnography Summary

Mark interviewed his father to gain insight into the life of a firefighter of 26 years who is nearing retirement. His father is on the far low end of the spectrum that we are considering and we hope that we can analyze his lifestyle to get an idea of what people are doing as they near retirement.

Date: 3/4/17

Type: Interview

Location: Facetime Interview

Team participants: Mark Egan

User Characteristics:  “Motivated Do’er“

Male, Aged 49

Position: Battalion Chief FDNY

From: Staten Island, NY

 

What is this person about – what drives him/her?

Mark’s dad is very family driven and technically savvy, he finds himself being the person who is called by all family members whenever any sort of home improvements are needed. Keeping these skills sharp is something that he takes pride in.

 

Memorable quote from interview: “I’ve got the curse, but it’s important to know these things.” (When asked about his home improvement and carpentry skills, he responds that he has the curse of knowledge and is hence called upon by everyone imaginable to fix things around the house.)

 

Top 3 Learnings:

1. Turning skills into hobbies is therapeutic and works the mind, keeping it sharp.
2. Keeping up physical fitness into retirement is important for longevity of the body.
3. Retiring at a young age can lead to many advantages, allowing extra time for many of the healthy practices that we have been seeing are important for retirees.    

 

Key Insight – There are many ways to keep the mind sharp as we age. Some people obsessively read,

some play games, others practice skills.

 

ACTIVITIES:

• Running with dog
• Working at firehouse
• Reading newspaper
• Traveling with wife

 

ENVIRONMENT:

• Home
• Gym
• Firehouse

 

INTERACTIONS:

• Interacts with family
• Walks dog
• Work relationships

 

OBJECTS:

• Car
• Firetruck
• Running shoes
• Dog leash

 

USERS:

• Immediate and extended family
• Friends
• Fellow Firefighters
• Dog
• Neighbors

Ethnography Summary

Mark interviewed Bob Freund, a resident at Morningside Memory Center, to learn about his life at Morningside and how he spends his free time. Bob is not very active and suffers from dementia.

(Roger asked us not to take pictures of any of the residents or around the facilities.)

 

Date: 3/6/17

Type: Interview

Location: Morningside Memory Care Center

Team participants: Mark Egan

User: Bob Freund

User Characteristics:

Male, Age 67

Previous Occupation: Heavy Machinery Worker (25 years)

From: South Bend, IN

 

What is this person about – what drives him/her?  

Bob hangs onto memories of his past passions. He speaks fondly about his days fishing on his

charter boat in Lake Michigan and playing baseball when he was younger.

 

Memorable quote from interview: “We just watch TV, don’t do much of the others.” (in response to card       sort question)

   

Key Insight – Many people with dementia maintain certain habits from earlier in life and it is therapeutic for them to repeat these habits.

 

ACTIVITIES:

• Television
• Spending time with friends
• Relaxing
• Other activities provided by Morningside
• Cooking (spaghetti and scallions)
• Gardening
• Fishing
• Going outside

 

ENVIRONMENT:

• Morningside facilities
• Kitchen
• Garden

 

INTERACTIONS:

• Interacts with nurses
• Interacts with other residents
• Cooks

 

OBJECTS:

• Kitchenware
• Television
• Board games

 

USERS:

• Family
• Friends at Morningside
• Nurses and staff at Morningside

Analogous Immersion: Athletic Injury Prevention (Using the 5 “E” Framework)

 

For my analogous immersion, I referred to my summer internship as a Physical Therapy Aide as I considered the process of taking preventative action against injury.

 

ENTICE

• When an athlete sees friends get injured or feels pain themselves, it becomes wise to take preventative action before a real injury occurs.
• Preventative exercise also improves strength in healthy joints.

ENTER

• Athletes may begin preventative exercise on their own or with a Physical Therapist.
• This type of training can be prompted by an injury, pain, or personal preference.

ENGAGE

• Athletes will receive heat therapy, ice therapy, stimulation therapy, and massage therapy.
• Athletes will also perform range-of-motion exercises as well as active exercises to strengthen joins and connective tissue.
• They will also perform different stretching exercises.
• It is critical that athletes develop routines and perform exercises often and with consistency in order to make this effective.

EXIT

• Ideally, people do not stop performing these maintenance techniques as it will help for athletic activities as well as longevity.

EXTEND

• After an injury is healed or proper joint stability is achieved, athletes may return to past exercise habits and continue to practice proper technique and body awareness.

 

Takeaways

• Preventative exercise and physical therapy are similar to good retirement practices.
• Both require discipline, routines, and consistency.
• Both improve longevity.

Ethnography Summary

Mark interviewed Roger, the Executive Director from Morningside Memory Care Center, about his experiences working there and his insights into the lives of elderly people with dementia and Alzheimer’s and the care they require.

Date: 3/6/17

Type: Interview

Location: Morningside Memory Care Center

Team participants: Mark Egan

User: Roger Garmendia

 

User Characteristics:  “Passionate Professional“

Male, Age 33

Position: Executive Director (immediate supervisor on site)

From: Honduras

Has worked at Morningside for 10 years.

 

What is this person about – what drives him/her?  

• Roger is motivated by his late grandmother who suffered from dementia. He understands the difficulties that the disease places on the family and wants to be a trustworthy person that people can bring their family members to.

 

Memorable quote from interview: “Everybody knows someone with a horrible experience at a Nursing Home. I need to gain people’s trust so they know we will take good care of their family member.”

 

Top 3 Learnings:

1. People with dementia understand that something is wrong but can’t fully understand it and are therefore uncomfortable with it. They thrive on routines and rely on the structure they provide.
2. Music provides a therapeutic way to recall past memories.
3. Learned of the intricacies and many necessary considerations in considering and selecting a nursing home for a family member.

   

Key Insight

• Reading, puzzles/games, socialization, etc. are incredibly important for maintaining and improving mental sharpness.

 

ACTIVITIES:

• Runs daily operations at Morningside

 

ENVIRONMENT:

• Morningside Memory Care Center
• Home

 

INTERACTIONS:

• Interacts with residents
• Interacts with nurses
• Organizes different aspects of Morningside

 

OBJECTS:

• Office
• Security system at Morningside

 

USERS:

• Family
• Nurses
• Residents
• Administrators of other facilities
• Families of residents
• Other staff members

Immersion – A day in the life of a Morningside resident (Using the 5 “E” Framework)

 

For my immersion, I went to the Morningside Memory Care Center with Chas. There we got to see the facility and learn what life is like for residents at Morningside.

 

ENTICE

• Morningside provides patrons with cognitive stimulation, physical/occupational/speech therapy, medication management, etc.
• The facility is peaceful, quiet, and secure.
• The staff provide them with a structured life with many built in routines that involve enjoyable activities such as television, live music, fun games, etc.
• Roger works hard to be a very trustworthy ambassador for families to feel comfortable having their relative stay there.

 

ENTER

• Morningside is for the elderly population who are at some stage of the dementia or Alzheimer’s spectrum.
• These people are often transferred into Morningside from either another assisted-living center, a hospital, or their home when the required level of care for the person becomes more than the original caregiver is able to provide.

 

ENGAGE

• Each morning, residents wake up and get breakfast at 8am. They also have the option to have breakfast catered to them at a different time if they so choose.
• After breakfast, they go through some light range-of-motion-type physical therapy and play some trivia or listen to music to stimulate the mind and initiate pleasant memories.
  • Activities are changed every 30 minutes since the attention span of dementia patients is very low.
• Residents then get lunch followed with some quiet free time for them to rest.
• At around 4:30pm they do another activity before 5:30pm dinner.
• After dinner they are sent off to do whatever activities they would like until bed.
  • Residents are given consistent routines in order to give them structure and stability in their lives but are also given significant amounts of autonomy and decision-making based on their personal preferences.

 

EXIT

• Residents may leave Morningside when their family chooses to withdraw them from the facility.
• In some cases, residents leave Morningside when they succumb to their illnesses.

 

EXTEND

• In most cases, Morningside is how people with severe dementia spend the end of their lives.
• In some cases, residents will transfer to different skilled-nursing facilities or back to the home.

 

Takeaways

• Residents need routines to keep stability in their lives.
• Residents also enjoy the ability to make some decisions.
• Activities such as puzzles, games, reading, trivia, etc. prove to be mentally stimulating.
• Music seems to have the ability to revive old memories and old habits and is very therapeutic.