Assistive Technology最新文献

The entitlement to access assistive technology (AT) is fundamental for all individuals. However, challenges encountered during societal crises can significantly impact opportunities for participation and engagement among AT users. Understanding the implications of crises and disasters on AT provision along with their repercussions for end users is crucial. This research endeavors to investigate the experiences of managers overseeing AT provision during crises, using the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study. An open-ended questionnaire was distributed to health care managers (n = 18) within AT organizations in Sweden. The responses were analyzed using qualitative content analysis, and four categories derived: Embracing change and navigating new realities, Optimizing strategies due to decreased and limiting prescriptions, Unlocking access and addressing challenges in AT provision, The impact on the staff and their well-being vs effectiveness in the AT organization. The findings indicate that AT organizations have demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability in the face of reduced consultations and growing care burden. Despite these challenges, managers have gained valuable insights into developing AT provision more efficiently and sustainably, particularly in digitization. The lessons learned will be critical in ensuring AT provision remains responsive to the needs of patients and society in the future.

Powered mobility devices (PMD) are an alternative form of functional mobility commonly used in residential care settings. Several PMD assessments exist and are used to assess an individual's safety and independence with functional mobility using a PMD. However, little is known regarding what PMD assessments are most commonly used in residential care. This scoping review aimed to investigate power mobility driving assessments utilized most in residential care settings for adult PMD users. Fourteen articles met the criteria for analysis, which included nine different assessments that assess PMD use in residential care. Of the articles included in the analysis of PMD assessments in residential care settings, the most consistently used assessment was the Power-mobility Indoor Driving Assessment (PIDA; n = 9, 64.28%). Only two other assessments were used in more than one research study: The Wheelchair Skills Test Questionnaire (WST-Q; n = 4, 28.57%), and the Nursing Home Life-Space Diameter (NHLSD; n = 2, 14.29%). Overall, the scoping review concludes that the PIDA is the most common PMD assessment used in research in residential care settings.

Use of information and communication technology (ICT) (computers and smartphones) during everyday occupations is growing as rapidly as the older adult population. ICT is incorporated into occupational therapy (OT) interventions to improve performance in everyday activities. Limited competence in ICT can jeopardize wellness, autonomy, and contribute to isolation. This scoping review explores how ICT is incorporated into OT interventions and identifies knowledge gaps in the literature. Five databases were searched using a scoping review methodological framework. The included articles were peer-reviewed, written in English, focused on ICT in OT practice and include participants 65 and older. The results were summarized and reported with descriptive statistics and qualitative analysis. Twenty-three articles met the inclusion criteria. Findings include differences in participant characteristics, ICT devices, and outcome measures. Common themes identified benefits and barriers to ICT training, education, and occupational performance. Gaps in the literature include guidelines for intervention and the impact of specific health conditions on ICT performance. When incorporating ICT into OT interventions, consideration must be given to age-related deficits, perceptions of technology, and access to devices. Additional research is needed to establish evidence-based guidelines for OT interventions that incorporate ICT-mediated occupations with older adults.

myAccessibleHome is a home safety screening and intervention app developed to be used by PwD, aging adults, support persons, and stakeholders vested in facilitating improved community living outcomes in home-dwellers desiring to age-in-place. This study describes the iterative development process and content validation of myAccessibleHome. App development involved participatory action research (PAR) methodology and engaged PwD, caregivers, and contractors (N = 6) as part of the core research and development team. For content validity, an expert panel (N = 7) and target population end-users (N = 15) completed a web-based survey which evaluated relevance and clarity. Item and scale content validity (I-CVI, S-CVI) indices were calculated. The PAR team and content validation process contributed to iterative and ongoing refinement of content, design, and features of myAccessibleHome. For the expert panel, mean I-CVI was 0.96 [0.57-1.00] for relevance and 0.89 [0.29-1.00] for clarity. The S-CVI was 0.93. For target population end-users, mean I-CVI was 0.64 [0.40-0.87] for relevance and 0.82 [0.53-0.93] for clarity. Items were removed and revised based on respondent feedback. Engaging potential end-users in PAR and content validation studies contributed to myAccessibleHome matching wants and needs of targeted end-users.

Assistive Technology for Cognition (ATC) can help people to compensate for cognitive impairments following Acquired Brain Injury (ABI). Examples include mainstream devices such as smartphones, watches and environmental controls, and bespoke devices such as medication devices or specific educational software. Evidence suggests that professional support is key to people successfully adopting ATC, yet low confidence amongst clinicians and perceptions about barriers are often cited as reasons for not recommending ATC in practice. The objectives of this service evaluation were to evaluate the impact of an ATC training opportunity on the knowledge and confidence of staff and to explore staff perspectives of the barriers and enablers to implementation of ATC in practice. A survey was completed by 21 members of a Community Acquired Brain Injury Service before and after participating in an ATC training workshop. Survey findings highlighted that attitudes toward, and confidence with ATC, showed positive change after the training, whilst perceptions about barriers to implementation in practice reduced. Responses also highlighted the perceived importance of education for health professionals, service users and families as key enablers to successful implementation. Multi-professional training is therefore an important part of an implementation strategy for ATC.

This study aimed to elucidate the effect of introducing an information support robot on utterance frequency and confirm the change in utterance frequency after long-term use. We presented an information support robot installed with individualized content to three older adults with cognitive impairment who live alone at home or in an assisted living residence (mean age 83.7±SD 5.4 years). Changes in the participants' utterance frequency over six months following the intervention of long-term robot use in actual living spaces were quantitatively recorded and analyzed. Two participants' total utterance frequency maintained or improved. With robot intervention, the utterance frequency to the robot was maintained for six months. When the usability and satisfaction with the robot were high, the utterance frequency increased. These results suggest that users need to be provided with personalized information that is appropriate for their individual needs to use robots effectively over the long term. Information support robots have the potential for long-term use without inflicting boredom and may encourage more frequent interactions. Long-term use of such information support robots may help older adults to continue living autonomously and independently for longer. These findings may contribute to future efforts in supporting autonomous living.

UNav is a computer-vision-based localization and navigation aid that provides step-by-step route instructions to reach selected destinations without any infrastructure in both indoor and outdoor environments. Despite the initial literature highlighting UNav's potential, clinical efficacy has not yet been rigorously evaluated. Herein, we assess UNav against standard in-person travel directions (SIPTD) for persons with blindness or low vision (PBLV) in an ecologically valid environment using a non-inferiority design. Twenty BLV subjects (age = 38 ± 8.4; nine females) were recruited and asked to navigate to a variety of destinations, over short-range distances (<200 m), in unfamiliar spaces, using either UNav or SIPTD. Navigation performance was assessed with nine dependent variables to assess travel confidence, as well as spatial and temporal performances, including path efficiency, total time, and wrong turns. The results suggest that UNav is not only non-inferior to the standard-of-care in wayfinding (SIPTD) but also superior on 8 out of 9 metrics, as compared to SIPTD. This study highlights the range of benefits computer vision-based aids provide to PBLV in short-range navigation and provides key insights into how users benefit from this systematic form of computer-aided guidance, demonstrating transformative promise for educational attainment, gainful employment, and recreational participation.

The Memory Book approach to dementia care effectively fosters daily communication with individuals with dementia. With technological advancements, the traditional memory book intervention has evolved into digital forms. However, it remains unclear whether family caregivers (FCGs) perceive this transition as beneficial or not, especially when their loved ones with dementia demonstrate communicative deficits. To investigate the perceived usefulness of digital memory books, we conducted a survey using the Technology Acceptance Model in which 169 FCGs of individuals with dementia participated. The participants were categorized into two groups based on their observations of communicative deficits in their loved ones. We compared the perceived usefulness of digital memory books between these two groups using Welch's two-sample t-test. Additionally, we employed univariate general linear models to explore the communicative deficits underlying the participants' perceptions. Our findings revealed that FCGs dealing with communicative challenges in their loved ones found digital memory books to be more useful. Furthermore, 7 out of 11 communicative deficits assessed (e.g., anomia) significantly influenced FCGs' perception. The digital memory book intervention has the potential to improve both the quality and quantity of communication between FCGs and individuals with dementia alleviating caregiving burdens for FCGs.