| Our senior population will rely more and more on | | | | assistive aids recommended are often not medical |
| mobility aids to Age-in-Place. After an injury or | | | | devices. They likely should be due to the intended |
| surgery and during rehabilitation assistive devices will | | | | user and use. Too many companies want the senior |
| play a role in recovery. Some if not many bypass | | | | medical market without the regulations that go with |
| FDA regulations in a gray area as assistive technology | | | | it. |
| (AT) devices. At first glance it seems like it's no big | | | | The real patient and user safety issue comes into |
| deal because everyone assumes they are harmless. | | | | play when all the products are seen as consumer |
| Many in healthcare consider assistive aids harmless | | | | products. The safety issues are not disclosed and |
| with no idea what healthcare issues or secondary | | | | adverse events like injuries and death are not |
| issues they create. It's time to take a closer look at | | | | reported partially due to this gray area. Fall prevention |
| the hidden and overlooked patient safety and user | | | | programs have relied on many of these assistive aids |
| issues. | | | | without knowing about the injury risks. For example |
| The, need for assistive aids and home modification | | | | the most commonly used slide under the mattress |
| have grown dramatically in recent years and will | | | | which use the box spring and mattress for support. |
| continue to grow. Freedman, Martin, and Schoeni | | | | Does anyone know what happens to the sleep |
| (2004): state that the number of commercially | | | | surface when you put something under the |
| available AT products has grown from 6,000 in 1992 | | | | mattress? |
| to over 20,000 in 2002. The rapid shift in enabling | | | | We measured the degrees in which 4 products |
| people to live at home and in their communities has | | | | changed the sleep surface. From head to foot and |
| created a need for more assistive technology. The | | | | side-to-side it was 1 to 3+ degrees different. In short |
| question is at what cost to safety and how | | | | you end up sleeping on an uneven bed with plywood |
| effective are they. | | | | or metal bars somewhere under your hip and |
| Attention has been on cheap cost without | | | | shoulders. If, you have any type of chronic condition |
| consideration for effectiveness which is another word | | | | such as arthritis, osteoporosis or back problems you |
| for safety issues when it comes to mobility. Another | | | | would likely be on your way to a worsening of those |
| area of concern is a lack of basic labeling or a clear | | | | conditions and not even know it. The question is |
| intended use of the product. A bigger issue is | | | | does your healthcare provider know it. Hitting the |
| marketing verses intended use. Often the marketing | | | | vertical rails getting in and out of bed can create |
| materials show a much broader use than the user | | | | inflammation in the thigh or hip area increasing your |
| instructions that's if there are any user instructions. | | | | risk of bursitis. Has anyone thought of this, probably |
| You can buy a storage container that has more | | | | not! |
| information than most assistive devices. The | | | | Looking at the safety and effectiveness of assistive |
| difference between a storage container and an | | | | aids is part of prevention and patient safety. We |
| assistive aid is that the user will depend on the | | | | need to pay more attention to secondary and safety |
| assistive aid as a means of fall and injury prevention. | | | | issues that go unreported giving everyone a false |
| One of the main mobility issues for seniors is getting | | | | sense of security. |
| in and out of bed. Some of the most commonly used | | | | |