Our senior population will rely more and more on mobility aids to Age-in-Place. After an injury or surgery and during rehabilitation assistive devices will play a role in recovery. Some if not many bypass FDA regulations in a gray area as assistive technology (AT) devices. At first glance it seems like it’s no big deal because everyone assumes they are harmless. Many in healthcare consider assistive aids harmless with no idea what healthcare issues or secondary issues they create. It’s time to take a closer look at the hidden and overlooked patient safety and user issues.
The, need for assistive aids and home modification have grown dramatically in recent years and will continue to grow. Freedman, Martin, and Schoeni (2004): state that the number of commercially available AT products has grown from 6,000 in 1992 to over 20,000 in 2002. The rapid shift in enabling people to live at home and in their communities has created a need for more assistive technology. The question is at what cost to safety and how effective are they.

Attention has been on cheap cost without consideration for effectiveness which is another word for safety issues when it comes to mobility. Another area of concern is a lack of basic labeling or a clear intended use of the product. A bigger issue is marketing verses intended use. Often the marketing materials show a much broader use than the user instructions that’s if there are any user instructions. You can buy a storage container that has more information than most assistive devices. The difference between a storage container and an assistive aid is that the user will depend on the assistive aid as a means of fall and injury prevention.

One of the main mobility issues for seniors is getting in and out of bed. Some of the most commonly used assistive aids recommended are often not medical devices. They likely should be due to the intended user and use. Too many companies want the senior medical market without the regulations that go with it.

The real patient and user safety issue comes into play when all the products are seen as consumer products. The safety issues are not disclosed and adverse events like injuries and death are not reported partially due to this gray area. Fall prevention programs have relied on many of these assistive aids without knowing about the injury risks. For example the most commonly used slide under the mattress which use the box spring and mattress for support. Does anyone know what happens to the sleep surface when you put something under the mattress?

We measured the degrees in which 4 products changed the sleep surface. From head to foot and side-to-side it was 1 to 3+ degrees different. In short you end up sleeping on an uneven bed with plywood or metal bars somewhere under your hip and shoulders. If, you have any type of chronic condition such as arthritis, osteoporosis or back problems you would likely be on your way to a worsening of those conditions and not even know it. The question is does your healthcare provider know it. Hitting the vertical rails getting in and out of bed can create inflammation in the thigh or hip area increasing your risk of bursitis. Has anyone thought of this, probably not!

Looking at the safety and effectiveness of assistive aids is part of prevention and patient safety. We need to pay more attention to secondary and safety issues that go unreported giving everyone a false sense of security.

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Join augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) expert Nicole Lilienthal, MS CCC-SLP for an exciting glimpse into the world of assistive technology. See first hand how multiple alternative communication strategies are implemented to assist a nonspeaking adult, “Mr. P”, with his goal of achieving communication independence. Examples of partner assisted scanning on a low tech communication device (lap tray) and 4 quadrant row/column scanning on a high tech voice output communication …

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Patrece writes and speaks about unfamiliar issues that affect our aging population and healthcare costs. Topics include fall prevention, design safety, Aging-in-Place, risk management, ageism, medical devices and assistive technology. In 2008 Patrece was recognized as one of the most innovative product designers. She has also worked with government and is a consultant. To learn more visit www.InvisibleCareGiver.com.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Assistive Technology, Senior Safety And Aging-in-Place Hidden Risks

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A definition of AT and examples of how it is used for people with disabilities. For Towson University SPED 301- Intro to Special Education

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People in Norfolk with social or healthcare needs are benefiting from the provision of assistive technology equipment designed to help them to live more independently. Watch the film to find out more. For all customer enquiries please call Norfolk County Council on 0844 800 8020.

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Imagine a world where you have a faithful aide by your side that can assist you with just about anything from moping up the floors, washing the dishes, patrolling your house, providing elder care to being you best buddy by being ready to help whenever you need it. It seems that after the dog, robots are going to be man’s most faithful friend.

We seem to have come far from the times when robots or mechanical servants were only heard of in ancient mythologies, such as the robots built by the Greek god Hephaestus to the age of patient aid and assistive devices. While, modern robotics has come a long way, there was a lot of buzz recently about the “uBOT-5” – the robot, supposed to be an awesome robotic assistant for the elderly in future.

The State-of-the-art Robotics

And it’s not without a reason because computer science researchers are well set on their path to endow these “mechanical servants” with never seen capabilities. For instance the uBOT-5 would not only be able them to assist the elderly but Robot UBot-5 would also act to help them, e.g. dialing 911 in case of emergencies. Or they could send out reminders to patients when its time for their medication. To top it all, they could even help them with grocery shopping in addition to allow them to talk to their friends ‘n’ family including healthcare providers.

However, this is only one side of the story, because when a patient’s friends, family or medics need to talk to their loved ones – they too can initiate a conversation via the assistant. For instance, a concerned family member who wants to know about whether their elderly relative is ok or not? They can establish a link with any Internet connection, or better still navigate around the house to look for mom or dad. This can be especially useful if a patient needs help and is unable to take the call.

At the same time, while the technology may have advanced, cost concerns still seem to persist for these patient aids. For instance, at present the prototypes at University of Massachusetts Amherst cost close to $65,000 for a unit. However, experts believe that with commercialization the robots may cost about $5,000. That’s less, but lesser still would be be better.

Till the time that happens, perhaps cutting edge enhancements to the already existing patient aid equipments aren’t bad either – as some interesting gadgets came to life at this year’s Assistive Technology Exposition of the Saint Francis University’s CERMUSA – including retina-steered wheelchairs, digitized and synthesized speech-generating devices and pressure sensing prosthetic limbs that could fill up a glass or water or wine!

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A definition of AT and examples of how it is used for people with disabilities. For Towson University SPED 301- Intro to Special Education

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Fred is a journalist with 7 years of experience. Though, as a professional He’s reported on myriad topics, his favorite is the medical industry. Off late he’s been working on different web portals including Themedica.com. Themedica is a comprehensive business-to-business (b2b) information portal and directory, featuring useful information for medical and health care industry professionals and businesses. It showcases resources such as trade shows, industry overviews, trade associations, global business listings, industry news, tenders, medical publications, informative articles and more that help professionals/businesses stay abreast with the latest and grow. He now blogs at Smiling Health