Stimulating Garden Activities for the Residents of PASSH with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia

Varun K Kasaraneni; Lindsay Nicole Steis; Brady Johnson; Hunter Telford; Kaitlin Sidare; Tyler John Seelnacht; Jacqueline Marie Sandquist; Scott Lee Fennell

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Conference: 2022 ASEE - North Central Section Conference
Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Publication Date: March 18, 2022
Start Date: March 18, 2022
End Date: April 4, 2022
Page Count: 2
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--39262
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/39262
Download Count: 188

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Paper Authors

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Varun K Kasaraneni Gannon University orcid.org/0000-0003-3128-7537

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Lindsay Nicole Steis Gannon University's Scholars of Excellence in Engineering and Computer Science (SEECS)

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This student poster is a collaborative effort from Gannon University's Scholars of Excellence in Engineering and Computer Science (SEECS) students. This team is made up of all of the second-year students including: Lindsay Steis, (Environmental Engineering), Brady Johnson (Environmental Engineering), Tyler Seelnacht (Electrical Engineering), Andrew Snowdy (Electrical Engineering), Jacqueline Sandquist (Mechanical Engineering), Hunter Telford (Mechanical Engineering), Kaitlin Sidare (Biomedical Engineering), and Scott Fennell (Computer Science). The advisor for the second-year students is Dr. Varun K. Kasaraneni.

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Abstract

Providing Stimulating Activities to the Residents of PASSH with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Through Raised Garden Beds and a Self-Sustaining Water Distribution System

The Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home (PASSH) is a nursing home located in Erie, PA, that is dedicated to providing care and assistance to veterans in the community. PASSH rests on twenty-six acres of land by Lake Erie where it pays tribute to the veterans for their sacrifices and extends the facility as a home to many local veterans. In collaboration with the staff of the PASSH, it was determined that the final deliverable is to help provide an activity for the residents with Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia to take part in to better stimulate their brains and give them another opportunity to further engage in. Picking an activity that would not task the resident-assistants with any additional work was necessary. So, the chosen project to engineer and implement at PASSH is two raised, wheelchair accessible garden beds with a self-sustaining water collection and distribution system in the courtyard area of PASSH.

With thorough consideration, the dimensions, construction, and function of the raised garden beds at PASSH have been designed to be accommodating and assure that the raised garden beds will be wheelchair accessible, structurally safe, and fitting for the space where the garden beds will be placed. Additionally, it was important and vital to examine the constraints of the garden beds that were designed and what herbs and flowers will positively stimulate the residents, survive in the Erie climate, and thrive given the limited soil depth of the garden beds. Strong scents and vibrant colors can help provoke interest of the residents and be therapeutic to residents that battle these illnesses. The herbs will also be used in meals for the residents prepared by the cooking staff at PASSH.

The water distribution system was designed to be self-sustaining in order to prevent creating extra work for those who assist the residents. It was calculated that a horizontal, fifty-gallon storage container would be sufficient in holding enough water to supply both garden beds with an adequate amount of water throughout the seasons. Irrigation tubing will be used to channel the collected water to the garden beds while a solar panel and a microcontroller will be used to power how much water is dispersed to each of the garden beds and how frequently the collected water is distributed. A fifty micron filtration system will also be placed in the collection spout of the storage container to ensure that no debris or sediment can enter the storage container or clog the irrigation tubing.

Citation
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Kasaraneni, V. K., & Steis, L. N., & Johnson, B., & Sidare, K., & Seelnacht, T. J., & Telford, H., & Sandquist, J. M., & Fennell, S. L. (2022, March), Stimulating Garden Activities for the Residents of PASSH with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Paper presented at 2022 ASEE - North Central Section Conference, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--39262

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Providing Stimulating Activities to the Residents of PASSH with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Through Raised Garden Beds and a Self-Sustaining Water Distribution System

The Pennsylvania Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home (PASSH) is a nursing home located in Erie, PA, that is dedicated to providing care and assistance to veterans in the community. PASSH rests on twenty-six acres of land by Lake Erie where it pays tribute to the veterans for their sacrifices and extends the facility as a home to many local veterans. In collaboration with the staff of the PASSH, it was determined that the final deliverable is to help provide an activity for the residents with Alzheimer’s disease and Dementia to take part in to better stimulate their brains and give them another opportunity to further engage in. Picking an activity that would not task the resident-assistants with any additional work was necessary. So, the chosen project to engineer and implement at PASSH is two raised, wheelchair accessible garden beds with a self-sustaining water collection and distribution system in the courtyard area of PASSH. 

With thorough consideration, the dimensions, construction, and function of the raised garden beds at PASSH have been designed to be accommodating and assure that the raised garden beds will be wheelchair accessible, structurally safe, and fitting for the space where the garden beds will be placed. Additionally, it was important and vital to examine the constraints of the garden beds that were designed and what herbs and flowers will positively stimulate the residents, survive in the Erie climate, and thrive given the limited soil depth of the garden beds. Strong scents and vibrant colors can help provoke interest of the residents and be therapeutic to residents that battle these illnesses. The herbs will also be used in meals for the residents prepared by the cooking staff at PASSH. 

The water distribution system was designed to be self-sustaining in order to prevent creating extra work for those who assist the residents. It was calculated that a horizontal, fifty-gallon storage container would be sufficient in holding enough water to supply both garden beds with an adequate amount of water throughout the seasons. Irrigation tubing will be used to channel the collected water to the garden beds while a solar panel and a microcontroller will be used to power how much water is dispersed to each of the garden beds and how frequently the collected water is distributed. A fifty micron filtration system will also be placed in the collection spout of the storage container to ensure that no debris or sediment can enter the storage container or clog the irrigation tubing. 



AU  - Varun K Kasaraneni
AU  - Lindsay Nicole Steis
AU  - Brady Johnson
AU  - Kaitlin Sidare
AU  - Tyler John Seelnacht
AU  - Hunter Telford
AU  - Jacqueline Marie Sandquist
AU  - Scott Lee Fennell Jr.
CY  - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
DA  - 2022/03/18
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Stimulating Garden Activities for the Residents of PASSH with Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia 
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/39262
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--39262
ER  -