| CODE | GDM2028 | ||||||
| TITLE | Assistive Devices for the Older Person | ||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 5 | ||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | ||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Gerontology and Dementia Studies | ||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Assistive technology devices help older persons to live healthy, satisfying and independent lives, for instance telecare, mobility aids, etc. The study-unit will provide a working knowledge of how assistive devices are designed to assist older persons, enable independent living at home or within long-term care facilities, and improve quality of life by addressing age-related difficulties. It will include sessions on the use of assistive technologies in older persons’ care and how such technologies contribute towards maintaining older persons' autonomy, safety, and communication at home or within long-term care facilities. The study-unit will zoom in on how an assistive technology is not likely to replace personal care but rather improve it. The learning process will also focus on how older persons should be able to use the assistive technology with no or little help or supervision. This nuance is of essence in that the older persons retain their autonomy and moreover there is no added workload to either the formal or informal carer. Study-unit Aims: The study-unit aims to look at the varying range of the available assistive technologies that serve as enablers for the older persons towards their wellbeing and fulfilled quality of life. The students, themselves mostly involved in the caring field, will learn about professionals' attitudes towards the assistive device; for instance, instead of using the assistive device to mobilize the older person they would rather prefer to get help from a colleague and do the work manually, to save time. This study-unit will be focal for students to learn about situations and the appropriate prescription, fitting, etc, where assistive devices would be beneficial for the older persons, (older persons with non-communicable diseases, older persons with gradual functional decline, older persons living with dementia, etc). The study-unit also aims to delve into the process of the older persons becoming regular users of the device and how this could be a complex process for the individual. The study-unit will probe into how the usability, the ease of integration into daily life, access and affordability, and individual aspirations and characteristics are some factors influencing the use of assistive technology among older persons. Finally, the study-unit intends to evaluate the primary measures that are needed to evaluate assistive devices, the types of devices that have effectively influenced autonomy, communication, and/or safety in older persons and the influence that frailty has on the effectiveness of using an assistive device. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - identify which assistive devices are currently in use in older person care; - evaluate the effectiveness of assistive devices with the older persons; - describe the professionals' attitudes caring for older persons, towards the assistive device; - recognise the importance of liaising with multidisciplinary team members on the proper prescription, fitting, older person training and follow-up of the assistive device; - appreciate how older persons using wheel chairs experience moderate to severe problems associated with discomfort, inhibited mobility and poor posture; - recognise the pros and cons of assistive devices (for instance the use of a physical restraining device on the older person, therapeutic footwear for diabetes reduces the incidence of foot ulcers, preventing lower limb amputations and the associated burden on health systems); - know what proper maintenance is required for the assistive device; - describe how use of the proper device helps impact the health care system; and - describe how the types of devices influence autonomy, communication, and/or safety in older persons, as well as how frailty impacts the effectiveness of using an assistive device. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - appraise the current developments associated with assistive devices; - know whom to tap in respect of multidisciplinary professionals in respect of the more appropriate assistive technologies and appreciate the necessity of interdisciplinary team approaches that also involve the older persons and informal carers where necessary; - appropriate assessments (problem identification, full assessment, strategising possible solutions, implementing solutions), for the right use of an assistive device for the older person; - recognise how assistive devices do not replace personal care but rather supplement it; - distinguish immediately when wheelchairs do not fit the older persons (posture, comfort, skin breakdown, ability for the older person to care for self, socialisation, quality of life, etc); - consider the right solutions in respect of wheelchair use versus a seating arrangement for the older persons, (seating aids, that is, wedge cushions, lap trays, lap pillows, leg rests, foot rests, gerichairs, recliners, pillows and bolsters, etc); - identify the potential harm to the older persons, associated with using an unsuitable assistive device; - evaluate how the usability, the ease of integration into daily life, access and affordability, and individual aspirations and characteristics are some factors influencing the use of assistive technology among older persons; and - recognise how assistive devices are to be properly maintained. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main texts: - Kameas, A., Sixsmith, A., & Maitland, J. (2012). Handbook of Ambient Assisted Living: Technology for Healthcare, Rehabilitation and Well-Being - Mann, W. C. & Helal, A. (2006). Promoting Independence for Older Persons with Disabilities: Selected Papers from the 2006 International Conference on Aging, Disability and Independence - Schaie, K. W. & Peitrucha, M. (2009). Mobility and Transportation in the Elderly. Supplementary readings: - Fischer, S. H., David, D., Crotty, B. H., Dierks, & Safran, C. Acceptance and use of health information technology by community-dwelling elders. (2014). International Journal of Medical Information, 83(9):624-635. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2014.06.005 - Fotteler, M.L., Muhlbauer, V., Brefka, S., Mayer, S., Kohn, B., Holl, F., Swoboda, W., Gaugisch, P., Denkinger, M. & Dallmeier, D. (2022). The effectiveness of assistive technologies for older adults and the influence of frailty: Systematic literature review of randomized controlled trials. JMIR Aging, 5(2), 1-17. - Gavin-Dreschnack, D. (2004) Effects of wheelchair posture on patient safety. Rehabilitative Nursing. 29(6), 221-226. - Lauriks, S., Meiland, F., Osté, J.P., Hertogh, C. & Dröes, R.M. (2020). Effects of assistive home technology on quality of life and falls of people with dementia and job satisfaction of caregivers: Results from a pilot randomized controlled trial. Assistive Technologies. 32(5):243-250. doi: 10.1080/10400435.2018.1531952 - Marasinghe, K.M., Chaurasia, A., Adil, M., Yue Liu, Q., Ibrahim Nur, T, & Oremus, M. (2022). The impact of assistive devices on community-dwelling older adults and their informal caregivers: a systematic review. BMC Geriatric. 22:897. - Prajapati, G. & Sharmila, K. (2020). Role of assistive devices in wellbeing of elderly: A Review. Indian Journal of Gerontology 34(3), 394–402. - Rader, J., Jones, D., & Miller, L. L. (1999). Individualized wheelchair seating: Reducing restraints and improving comfort and function. Topics in Geriatric Rehabilitation. 5(2), 34-47. - Sehgal, M., Jacobs, J. & Biggs, W. S. (2021). Mobility assistive device use in older adults. American Family Physician. 103(12), 737-744. - Tchalla, A. E., Lachal, F., Cardinaud, N., Saulnier ,I., Rialle, V., Preux, P. & Preux, P. (2013). Preventing and managing indoor falls with home-based technologies in mild and moderate Alzheimer's disease patients: Pilot study in a community dwelling. Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders. 36(3-4), 251-261. doi: 10.1159/000351863 - Van der Ploeg, E.S., Eppingstall, B. & O'Connor, D.W. (2016). Internet video chat (Skype) family conversations as a treatment of agitation in nursing home residents with dementia. International Psychogeriatrics. 28(4), 697-698. doi: 10.1017/S1041610215001854 - Volicer, L. (2007). Does wheelchair use improve ambulation and quality of life? Alzheimer’s Care Today. 8(3), 231-234. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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