Occupational Therapy-Industrial Design Collaboration Improves Quality of Life for Area Senior Citizens

For Chuck Broadbent, getting out of the house each morning can be an ordeal. The area resident has an eye condition that requires a prolonged 27-step care routine. Broadbent sometimes feels homebound as a result.

“I have so many things I need to do to keep my eyes open and navigate my day,” he says. “I keep everything inside baskets, and I can’t go out with baskets. If I shove things in my pockets, I might lose them.”

Broadbent received his solution at the end of the spring semester—the Blink Box. The discrete, modular and portable eye care companion, designed by a transdisciplinary Jefferson student team, organizes complex medications on the go to simplify his treatment routines.

“This brought everything together,” Broadbent says. “It feels like a safety kit that will make me feel more secure.”

MS in occupational therapy students Tori Berry, Kelly Seifried and Melissa Sicherman and BS in industrial design student Isaac Pellegrino designed the Blink Box as part of a longstanding University project. Since 1999, the occupational therapy and industrial design programs have collaborated to create assistive devices for senior citizens to enhance their participation in everyday tasks and activities.

Dr. Kim Mollo, associate professor of occupational therapy, attributes the project’s longevity to the synergy between the two programs.

“We’re well matched,” she says. “We help designers understand what people can do with their limitations, and the designers help us figure out how to do something without cardboard and duct tape.”

This project captures the true spirit of Jefferson, bringing together seemingly disparate disciplines to solve real-world challenges, adds Dr. Todd Kramer, associate professor of industrial design.

“Through cross-boundary collaboration, students develop the skills and mindset essential for their future careers, all while making a tangible difference in people’s lives,” he says. “They not only help to redefine what’s possible, but they also ultimately contribute to moving society forward.”

The annual project begins in the fall semester, where students first meet their client educators—area adults actively aging and living in place. For the past few years, Jefferson has worked with nearby East Falls Village and UUH Outreach.

Students interview clients to see what they like, want to do and struggle to complete. They then brainstorm an adaptive device to support their performance in the home or community.

The design begins in the spring semester with teams revisiting their clients to test prototypes, hear feedback, adapt their devices and, hopefully, give them a final product.

“Being able to walk into someone’s home, seeing all their needs and working with an industrial design student opened my eyes to all the possibilities out there,” says occupational therapy student Tori Berry about Blink Box’s creation. “When I drew my first prototype, it was very simplistic. I took it to Issac, who said we could do much more. We have so many options to help these people and bring life back into somebody else’s home.”

Seeing the cumbersome daily process that Broadbent endured inspired Pellegrino throughout the ideation and prototyping. “It’s much more rewarding when you can see a return on what you design,” he says.

With another project, students designed the Omni, a tool to help client educator Robert Rabinowitz put on his backpack. He retore his surgically repaired rotator cuff, which curtails his range of motion. The specialized device reduced the need for extensive shoulder mobility. 

For MS in occupational therapy student Ruby Terrell, the work with Rabinowitz and teammates allowed her to combine everything she learned into action.

“I chose this program for the transdisciplinary collaboration and innovation,” she says. “I’ve been looking forward to this project.”

Teammate and industrial design student Isabella Gitto shared this excitement about the rewarding project.

“I got to learn about myself as a designer and find different ways to look outside the box,” she says. “What it started as and where it ended were two different things.”

Another project showcased at the April 25 presentation in the Kanbar Performance Space included an adapted fishing pole for Malcolm, a client educator who has “man-in-the-barrel” syndrome. The slowly progressive neurological condition limits his movement and passion for fishing, which he hopes to do frequently during retirement.

Doctorate of occupational therapy student Morganne Wandall worked on the fishing pole for her capstone with industrial design students Joseph Braverman, Shrey Panchal and Frank Porras, occupational therapy adjunct instructor Dr. Jessie Perchaluk and industrial design associate professor Eric Schneider.

The team developed many variations of the rod handle to get it right and meet Malcom’s needs and abilities, Wandall says. The productive dialogue with him and her teammates pushed her out of her comfort zone, improved her skills and delivered a great final product.

Malcom beamed when he saw the pole for the first time, she says. “He was like, ‘This is free? I get to keep this?’’’

The avid fisherman says he can’t wait to use it with his sons.

“I’m so happy somebody did this for me,” Malcom says.