Increasingly, commissioners and providers of services for people with intellectual disabilities are turning to assistive technology and telecare as a potential solution to the problem of the increased demand for services, brought about by an expanding population of people with intellectual disabilities in the context of relatively static or diminishing resources. While there are numerous potent...

The purposes of this study were to 1) present a standardized approach for describing gait when assistive devices are used, 2) report reference data for unassisted and assisted gait patterns for normal adults, and 3) discuss clinical implications for selected variables of gait. Using an automated gait system, measurements for temporal and distance factors and accelerometry were obtained for 25 n...

BACKGROUND Adaptations and assistive technology (AT) have an important role in enabling older people to remain in their own homes. OBJECTIVE To measure the feasibility and cost of adaptations and AT, and the scope for these to substitute and supplement formal care. DESIGN Detailed design studies to benchmark the adaptability of 82 properties against the needs of seven notional users. SETT...

BACKGROUND Older Indigenous adults encounter multiple challenges as their age intersects with health inequities. Research suggests that a majority of older Indigenous adults prefer to age in place, and they will need culturally safe assistive technologies to do so. OBJECTIVE The aim of this critical review was to examine literature concerning use, adaptation, and development of assistive tech...

Identifying consumers' motor ability for consistent and reliable control can be a difficult yet essential part of a single switch assessment. Current literature does not identify the essential components of a single switch evaluation. Therefore, the following focus group study was conducted. Six occupational therapists with experience in assistive technology service delivery participated in a f...

Although assistive technology provides a promising means to accommodate for barriers to independence and self-determination for people with mental retardation, such devices are underutilized by this population. The Arc conducted a national survey of the use of assistive technology by people with mental retardation. In four of five areas, the percentage of individuals who used a device was under...

The purpose of this study was to conduct a cross-validation of the bidimensional structure of a satisfaction measure with assistive technology. Data were drawn from a follow-up study of 243 subjects who had been administered the Dutch version of the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive Technology (QUEST). Ratings related to 12 satisfaction items were analysed. Factor analysis r...

Musicians have long been hampered by the challenge in turning sheet music while their hands are occupied playing an instrument. The sight of a human page turner assisting a pianist during a performance, for instance, is not uncommon. This need for a page turning solution is no less acute during practice sessions, which account for the vast majority of playing time. Despite widespread appreciati...

BACKGROUND The current study examined help-seeking behavior for mental health problems of employees in the mining industry. METHODS The research involved a paper-based survey completed by a cross-section of employees from eight coalmine sites. The research aimed to investigate the frequency of contact with professional and non-professional sources of support, and to determine the socio-demogr...

Despite the benefits derived from the use of assistive technologies (AT), some parts of the world have minimal or no access to AT. In many low-income and middle-income countries (LMIC), only 5-15% of people who require AT have access to them. Rapid demographic changes will exacerbate this situation as populations over 60 years of age, as well as functional limitations among older populations, i...