Store It Safe!

1. Store It Safe! The Elegant Safety Group Nick Briggs, Meg Desko, Erica Solway

2. Point of view A recently retired couple desires an affordable means of support that is functional and attractive.

3. Insights • The bathroom is a dangerous place for older adults • People need support in bathroom for balance and strength • Supportive devices are unattractive and uninviting • Storage in the bathroom very useful and usually limited

4. Initial prototype • The automated bathroom (like a luxury car) • Problems: • Too complicated • Scope of idea too big • Too many moving parts • Too big a change

5. Talked with younger people with disabilities and learned about universal design Learned what is currently available Older adults had very positive or very negative reactions People are using things they’re not supposed to for support Marian and Family Molly and Jeremy Benton Medical Home Depot and Ikea Lytton Gardens Avenidas Menorah Park Observations and Interviews

6. Safety and storage are important bathroom concerns

7. Store it Safe: Current prototype

8. Store it Safe: Current prototype

9. Color Size (height and width) Material Cabinet type Shelving Type of support bars Accessories Lighting Some options for customization

10. Future prototyping • Building a usable model • Building in real support arms for adult use • Experience prototype of purchasing, installation, and use • Developing a nice scale model • Photos and our model not enough…

11. Picture

12. Further considerations • Make the unit out of corrosion-proof material • Make sure they can fit existing bathrooms • Mounting the arms and cabinet • Cost ($$$$$$) • Meeting the needs of people of different sizes (height and weight)

13. Other possibilities for making the bathroom a safer place • Non-slip floors • Narrower walkers • All sorts of shower stuff • Toilet seat height • Proper bathroom ergonomics

14. Thank you! • John Tang (our faithful coach) • Marian and her family • Elna and Arna • Molly and Jeremy Hale • Lytton Gardens, Avenidas, Menorah Park • Our teaching staff, coaches, and classmates:-)