Presentation
PS12 - Transfer Technologies that Adjust to User Needs as an Approach to Patient Safety
SessionPoster Session 2
DescriptionToileting and bathing transfers have long been associated with bathroom accidents and falls. Yet, while the functional abilities of older adults with disabilities can vary unpredictably and typically decline over time, the majority of assistive technologies to support safety and independence in self-care activities, including grab bars, commode chairs and tub benches, are typically fixed in place or adjust only at initial set up. As a result, devices intended to support bathroom safety may work some of the time, but not all of the time, and may in fact, contribute to safety risks rather than ameliorating them. Moreover, this approach to integrating non-adaptable technologies into existing living environments has implications for disuse, abandonment, and often replacement. In contrast, transfer devices that adjust to meet the needs and abilities of individuals at any point in time, can promote both safety and independent living. This paper highlight ongoing projects in the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center TechSAge to develop user voice-controlled, and ultimately AI-robotic controlled, adjustable, and repositionable toilet and bathing systems that can be seamlessly integrated into bathroom environments. To develop these systems a SmartBathroom testbed with force and pressure sensors for data collection embedded in a mechanically adjustable toilet/grab bar and a repositionable bathtub/grab bar system has been constructed in the Georgia Tech AwareHome. Studies of simulated use using a repeated measures design are ongoing to demonstrate usability and usefulness of the prototype technologies. To date, repeated trials have been conducted in which 15 ambulatory older adults with mobility limitations transfer to/from the toilet system using the minimum U.S. code-based configuration (17”/43.18 cm toilet height and 33”/83.82cm grab bar height) and up to three user-adjusted configurations to identify the user-preferred configuration. Preliminary analyses indicate that higher seat and grab bar height in the preferred configuration had a smaller mean area of pressure (0.0671) than the standard configuration (0.0771). Although not statistically different, the trend suggests that seat and grab bars located at heights greater than the standard code configuration may lead to better stability during toilet transfer and sitting. Whereas the preliminary analysis examined mean area of pressure from initial seat contact to offloading, we expect to find significant results when data are analyzed at each distinct transfer stage, lowering (i.e., initial contact), stationary sitting, and rising (final contact).
Event Type
Poster Presentation
TimeTuesday, April 14:45pm - 6:15pm EDT
LocationFrontenac Foyer