RWU Graduate's Bachelor's Thesis Receives Award

RWU student Dalina Girmscheid received an award from the Zeppelin Youth Foundation for her bachelor’s thesis on shared living arrangements for seniors. Every two years, the foundation presents the “JUST!” Award to young researchers from the Lake Constance region in the fields of engineering, natural sciences, economics, social sciences, and cultural studies, as well as in rotating special topics. The award recognizes young talent in three age groups: lower secondary school, upper secondary school, and college.

Dalina Girmscheid studied applied psychology at RWU and won third place this year in the university category. The specified topic for research submissions this year was “The Tension Between Prosperity and Growth.” Together with her bachelor’s thesis advisor, Professor Dr. Anna-Sophia Schwind, she submitted her paper for the award. In it, she examined the influence of the living environment in senior living communities on residents’ self-concept, self-determination, and well-being.

RWU Student Researched Senior Living Communities in the Ravensburg District

As part of her research, she conducted qualitative interviews with seniors from two senior living communities in the Ravensburg district. The goal of the research was to determine what conditions are necessary for seniors to maintain their self-worth and self-concept in this new living situation. Moving from one’s own home to a senior living community is, in most cases, involuntary and uproots people from their familiar surroundings.

The graduate found that it is important for residents not to experience a disruption in their roles within the shared living community. This means that if they can continue to perform similar tasks and pursue similar hobbies in their new living situation as they did before, their personal self-concept is preserved and a sense of self-efficacy can develop.

“I like talking directly with the people involved”

This makes it possible for seniors to feel comfortable and valued in a new environment. Although the conversations were sometimes challenging due to the emotional nature of the topic and some communication barriers, Dalina Girmscheid found this participatory research approach particularly interesting. “I like talking directly with the people affected. Besides, it’s an incredibly important topic, especially with an eye toward the future and our parents’ generation,” she said.

Through her bachelor’s thesis, she was able to both draw attention to innovative housing concepts for seniors and develop a plan for ensuring care in the future despite the nursing care crisis. After completing their research, Anna-Sophia Schwind and Dalina Girmscheid presented the findings to the residents of the shared living communities and engaged in a discussion with them. The RWU student received a check for 500 euros as a prize from the Zeppelin Youth Foundation.