Organizational Unit:
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technologies to Support Aging-in-Place for People with Long-Term Disabilities

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Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Item
    Analysis Of The Effect Of A Rear Wall Grab Bar Configuration On The Fall Risk Associated With Toilet Transfers In Older Adults With Mobility Impairment
    (RESNA/NCART, 2016) Sanath, Achyuthkumar A. ; Mahajan, Harshal P. ; Gonzalez, Elena ; Sanford, Jon ; Fain, W. Brad
    Twenty-three older adults were recruited for a two-hour in-home study. As a part of the process, the researchers asked questions regarding their process for toilet transfer, asked to provide ratings about toilet transfer in terms of their levels of confidence, difficulty, and how much more challenging it has become with age and with their permission, took photographs of their toilets. The objective of this project is to conduct a secondary analysis of this photographic and interview data to test our hypothesis that the presence of a grab bar on the rear wall prompted older adults to stretch, in order to reach for it across the toilet, consequently increasing the fall risk. The analysis showed us that the presence of a rear wall grab bar, though perceived to ease transfers, might actually prove more challenging to perform transfers with. The rear wall grab bar might only provide an illusion of safety. The results from this analysis may help guide future research undertakings to understand the relationship between a grab bar’s configuration and the risk of falling.
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    Moving In Out and Around the Home: Solutions from Older Adults with Long-term Mobility Impairment
    (Georgia Institute of Technology, 2015-06) Gonzalez, Elena ; Fausset, Cara ; Foster, Amanda ; Cha, Grace ; Fain, W. Brad
    The purpose of this study was to explore how older adults aging with long-term mobility impairment have adapted to mobility challenges in the home. Through in-home interviews, participants discussed their experience moving in, out and around their home with regard to challenges, solutions, barriers, and changes with age. This paper provides a characterization of the solutions used by participants to overcome in-home mobility challenges as well as unresolved barriers they faced. These themes illustrate the ingenuity of the participants as well as opportunities to support aging in place via design to better match a person’s environment to his/her capabilities.