Show Notes:
Transcript:
Sarah: [00:00:00] You’re listening to Good Fit Poor Fit. Our podcast is part of The UD Project, a small business rooted in occupational therapy that looks at how the design of a home environment impacts how well people of different ages and abilities perform everyday activities. We chat about this unique perspective to boost your knowledge and help you consider what can be changed in communities like yours.
Learn more about our work at universaldesign.org.
Hi listeners! Welcome back for yet another special episode in our series, UD and Me. Today, Rebecca and I will be introducing you to Caroline Hart. She’s a student in occupational therapy getting her doctorate from the University of Central Arkansas. She will be completing her capstone with us this summer and is actually building on some great work done by a student who was with us last summer, Grant Todd. If you remember, he had a [00:01:00] pretty unique project in which he modified elements in an OT house on his campus for around $5,000.
Rebecca: Yes. That was such a cool project, and if you wanna hear more about that and you didn’t catch it last summer, there’s a whole episode where we get into it, which we can link in the show notes. But today we are here to learn more about Caroline and how she came to be here and interested in this world of universal design.
So I will throw it to her.
Caroline Hart: Hi there. Yes, I would love to talk more about my project. Again, my name is Caroline Hart and I’m a student at the University of Central Arkansas, obtaining my doctorate of occupational therapy degree. I graduate in August, and until then I’ll be completing my doctoral capstone project. The title of my project is called, “Promoting Independence: Integrating Occupational Therapy, Universal Design, and Home Adaptations for Aging In Place.” There are multiple components to my project, but my overall goal is to create a training program for faculty and students at my [00:02:00] university to utilize the OT house and all it can offer. It is a fantastic resource for us to have on our own campus, demonstrating a true depiction of a low income home in our area that therapists could come in contact with. I also want to increase interprofessional collaboration with OT, PT, Speech Therapy, and Nursing through the Community Care Clinic on our campus, which is a free clinic that is incorporated in the curriculum within the different programs at our university. If we can receive some funding, which is still an ongoing process, there are multiple other adaptations that I would love to make to the house, but that’s still kind of up in the air.
Sarah: Yes, it is always an evolving process as we know. Uh, but first I just love that there is collaboration within your school to continue on these capstone projects, to build upon each other’s work and impact the community. We can’t do it all in three to four months. Grant’s project was super cool and I’m really glad you get to continue with [00:03:00] the vision on figuring out how to get OTs and people in the community , in the home that you’re working on to learn what’s possible in regard to the accessibility of homes. I also love your desire to train future OTs and other healthcare professionals and integrate the use of this home into their current curriculum. The fact that you wanna show them what’s possible at any level of financial resources is fantastic. So to have a passion for this, it had to come from somewhere.
Can you tell our listeners more about yourself and why you’re super excited about UD?
Caroline Hart: I’ve been a student at the University of Central Arkansas for seven years. I completed my undergraduate degree in Family and Consumer Sciences with a minor in Special Education. So as you can tell from my minor, I thought I wanted to do pediatrics, but after my first level two rotation in an inpatient rehab facility, that quickly changed. I fell in love with the adult and geriatric population and the amount of diversity in our [00:04:00] profession that came along with it. I was introduced to universal design in our coursework in school, but truly saw it play out during my fieldwork rotation. It was so common for individuals that were discharged to have to go to a skilled nursing facility instead of their home because their home was just not designed for their current needs. After seeing this, I knew I wanted to learn more about it and try and make a change. Aging in place is such an important thing that many people do not understand or they take it for granted, but the ability to age independently in your own home using universal design can truly change someone’s life for the better.
Rebecca: That is absolutely true. Living in your own home and community as you age can have such a big impact on mental and physical health. But it does require some planning in terms of how the house is set up and the supports that are built into it. So Caroline, can you share with our listeners one of your favorite universal design features outside of the home or out in the community?
Caroline Hart: Okay, bear with me on this one. I know it sounds [00:05:00] random, but one of my favorite universal design type of features that I’ve seen is a zero-entry pool. If any of the listeners have never heard of this, it’s basically a pool with no steps, just a gradual sloping entrance from the deck of the pool into the water. This ties back into occupational therapy because it is classified as a leisure activity, which is an occupation. I was a lifeguard in my hometown for five years, so there were many times where our pool was not accessible for many individuals. Even with our pool lift, which is a little bit sketchy, I would say it’s a little bit old, so we tried to avoid using it if we could. This zero-entry concept can create an easy entrance for a wide range of abilities.
Sarah: Caroline, this is definitely not a random thing, and I will say my husband does not like those lifts in the pool. He just feels like everybody’s watching him as he’s getting into the pool. So I really love this topic because we really haven’t discussed much, about pools before, but the zero-entry ramp into a pool is so helpful.
I [00:06:00] know my brain always goes to those with physical impairments. Because obviously my husband has one, but I’m sure as a lifeguard and now someone who has a lot of OT knowledge in their brain, that you have a lot of examples of how this could be helpful to a wide range of people beyond typical access.
Caroline Hart: Yeah, so for those with physical impairments, it allows them to have an easier entrance without having to manage stairs or ladders, which are common in pools. For those with sensory impairments, it can allow them to have more control of how much their body is submerged in the water. And this list goes on and on.
I think about an aging individual that has difficulty with stairs, implementing the slope to assist them in entering the pool will allow them access that they would not have with a set of stairs or a ladder. This can also assist people with low vision. Not having to navigate where a step is and how far or deep they need to step can make a huge difference when entering the pool. This can also assist those who might not have a disability or an impairment. For example, a [00:07:00] mom with a toddler or a baby, she can hold the baby and slowly enter the pool while being able to monitor the toddler without worrying about a drop off that can bring the water above the child’s head and different things like that. While a zero-entry pool is generally a good option, there are a couple downsides that I should point out for full transparency. It can be much more expensive than a generic pool to install. It requires more room to allow for the gradual slope, which can rule out some individuals who have limited space or limited funds. They can also be harder to maintain due to the uneven surface and the abnormal changes in depth. Overall, it’s a great option for those who can benefit. If you’re interested, I highly recommend doing more research on it.
Sarah: Really good points. You are so smart to bring up the idea of sensory impairments or even little kids, to control how much they want to get into the water and how fast. It’s what we OTs do best. Looking at all ages and breaking down the tasks as it relates to the environment to see what works best for people. So [00:08:00] after all of this talk, I am now super excited for the summer. I will have to say, don’t forget the shade folks. A lot of people don’t realize that medications or even disabilities impact the ability for some people to control their temperature and keep cool.
So shade is always a welcome feature for outdoor play, relaxation and socialization, especially around the pool. So now let’s shift to the home. What’s your favorite UD concept or product for a home setting?
Caroline Hart: So, something that I’m very passionate about is cooking. My grandparents owned an Italian restaurant growing up, and my mom cooked all the time, so I was surrounded with it and still love it to this day. Because of that, I love universal design or home modifications within the kitchen in a home. People neglect to remember how important the kitchen is.
It is a place of comradery, togetherness, and where passion for occupations come to fruition. My favorite inclusive concept for the kitchen is low tech cooking [00:09:00] utensils that can assist people in food preparation and cooking in conjunction with UD designs in the kitchen. For example,, having a lower countertop for individuals to sit to conserve energy or for wheelchair users. This can also include open space under the sink to have room to sit or wheel in a chair, or an oven that is placed at eye level versus lower to the ground to assist in pulling out items without having to reach down. Having things like full extension, glides and soft closed mechanisms on the drawers increases the likelihood of an individual to have functional participation in the kitchen when paired with adaptive equipment. There isn’t one type of adaptive equipment that I like more than others, but some examples are non-slip cutting boards, rocker knives, universal cuffs, or built up grips, high contrast plates, and many more. Incoorporating these in a kitchen alongside UD concepts like the counter height, drawer function, and appliance arrangement or position, can increase the [00:10:00] independence and quality of life through occupations for all ages, no matter the diagnoses.
Rebecca: I love all of this and I couldn’t agree more about the importance of the kitchen for so many occupations and routines and rituals. Having things like all the features you mentioned makes it easier for families with all different ages and disabilities to participate in these things together, which is really so important.
Thank you so much for sharing all of your thoughts with us, Caroline, and I can’t wait to see what happens, when your project comes to fruition. And thanks for tuning in listeners. We’ll be back in the feed soon.
Sarah: Thanks for listening to Good Fit Poor Fit. If you want to learn more… first, find more episodes with transcripts and show notes at goodfitpoorfit.com. Don’t forget to subscribe! Second, check out our courses at go.universaldesign.org.
We cover housing topics like advocacy, collaboration, home modification, universal design and task adaptations. Lastly, if you have questions or topics you’d [00:11:00] like us to discuss, email us at [email protected]. Thanks for fitting us into your day.
Leave a Reply