Living Lab Possible Floor Plans

 Goal:  To convert 18.5’x 23.2’ space into a ‘Living Lab’ to teach occupational therapy students how to modify tasks and spaces to promote independence and to overcome disabilities to increase functional activities of daily living.  Ideally the Living Lab would be a flexible space that would allow for many different scenarios and set up so students would learn to utilize critical thinking and problem solving skills to overcome obstacles in many forms similar to the variety of situations they will encounter in the real world.

Concept:  In order for occupational therapy students to learn critical thinking skills to overcome the obstacles to function they will encounter in the real world they would benefit not from a perfectly wheelchair accessible space.  But instead a space that can be configured to be completely wheelchair accessible and reconfigured to present challenges to the students such as they will find when they begin practicing in the real world.  The living lab will be a place in which to learn transfers, how to modify tasks for independence with cooking, bathing, dressing etc.  Ideally the living lab will also have different types of adaptive equipment (low tech) and assistive technology (high tech) for the students to configure and utilize.

To create a 'Living Lab' for occupational therapy students to learn ADL's, and to learn home modifications via reconfiguring the space and having options for adaptive equipment etc.  No roll-in shower was planned for the bathroom originally because we were going more for problem-solving and critical thinking.

Current space:

 

 

Design 1:
This was the original Living Lab floor plan we submitted but the contractor did not want to have to move the water supply, which is to the left of the door and did not want to move the wall between the kitchen and bedroom.  The other issue is there is floorboard electric heat on the walls so this configuration was not going to work.

Kitchen:  Kitchen being difficult to reconfigure we are going for good universal, accessible design.

• Roll-under sink.
• Roll-under cooktop with above-the-stove mirror.
• Wall oven.
• Varying height countertops.
• Island on wheels.
• Touch faucet.
• Full extension drawers in base cabinets.
• Pull down shelving.
• Variety of adaptive devices for cooking in cabinets.
• Set-up for low vision with a variety of lighting options.

Bathroom:  Originally we were going for no walk-in shower and only a tub to trouble shoot mobility issues.

• Bathtub.
• Adaptive equipment (bath transfer bench, bathlift) for bathtub to overcome mobility issues.
• A variety of suction-cup grab bars to allow students to figure out best grab bar solution, although suction-cup grab bars should not be used in real-life situations for stability since they are unreliable.
• Standard height toilet or possibly an adjustable height toilet depending on budget constraints.
• Adaptive equipment for toilet (drop-arm commode, versa frame, elevated toilet seat.)
• Possibly a drop down grab bar or superpole next toilet, to demonstrate how drop down grab bars work.
• Roll-under sink with flipper-style doors or adjustable height sink.

 



Design 2:  Redesign after learning constraints with bedroom wall and researching other ADL Labs.  Decided to add a roll-in shower with flip-down shower seat to demonstrate roll-in shower design.  Would also like to have a functional bedroom for bed transfers and a ceiling lift installed between the bedroom and bathroom for lift transfers. 

Don't like the position of the tub in this design, only allows 3' between tub and toilet.  This design would work for side transfers onto toilet and for standing pivot transfers but prefer more space in front of toilet.

This design limits bedroom and storage space, will need to rethink adaptive equipment, may need to stick with fold-up and have photos of options.  Kitchen not addressed.

Design 3:  Bathtub position changed but limits space to enter roll-in shower to 36", which would work for most wheelchairs if user were independent with transfers will not work with standing pivot transfers.  

This design limits bedroom and storage space, will need to rethink adaptive equipment, may need to stick with fold-up and have photos of options.  Kitchen not addressed, flip down table not included.

 

Discussion with building contractor in progress to figure out limitations with water supply and moving walls.  Need to figure out best designs as well as adaptive equipment.