Assistive technology
Assistive technology is a term for assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities and the elderly. People with disabilities often have difficulty performing activities of daily living independently, or even with assistance. ADLs are self-care activities that include toileting, mobility, eating, bathing, dressing, grooming, and personal device care. Assistive technology can ameliorate the effects of disabilities that limit the ability to perform ADLs. Assistive technology promotes greater independence by enabling people to perform tasks they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing, by providing enhancements to, or changing methods of interacting with, the technology needed to accomplish such tasks. For example, wheelchairs provide independent mobility for those who cannot walk, while assistive eating devices can enable people who cannot feed themselves to do so. Due to assistive technology, people with disabilities have an opportunity of a more positive and easygoing lifestyle, with an increase in "social participation", "security and control", and a greater chance to "reduce institutional costs without significantly increasing household expenses." In schools, assistive technology can be critical in allowing students with disabilities to access the general education curriculum. Students who experience challenges writing or keyboarding, for example, can use voice recognition software instead. Assistive technologies assist people who are recovering from strokes and people who have sustained injuries that affect their daily tasks.
A recent study from India led by Dr Edmond Fernandes et al. from Edward & Cynthia Institute of Public Health which was published in WHO SEARO Journal informed that geriatric care policies which address functional difficulties among older people will ought to be mainstreamed, resolve out-of-pocket spending for assistive technologies will need to look at government schemes for social protection.
Adaptive technology
Adaptive technology and assistive technology are different. Assistive technology is something that is used to help people with disabilities, while adaptive technology covers items that are specifically designed for disabled people and would seldom be used by a non-disabled person. In other words, assistive technology is any object or system that helps people with disabilities, while adaptive technology is specifically designed for disabled people. Consequently, adaptive technology is a subset of assistive technology. Adaptive technology often refers specifically to electronic and information technology access.Occupational therapy and assistive technology
utilizes everyday occupations as a therapeutic tool for enhancing or enabling participation in healthy occupations to promote health and well-being. Occupations include activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, health management, rest and sleep, education, work, play, leisure, and social participation. "As occupational therapy professionals, we are uniquely trained to advocate for client-centered care that reduces barriers to participation in meaningful occupations and promotes overall well-being"OT practitioners utilize assistive technologies The HAAT model by Cook, Polgar & Encarnaçāo The interdependence - Human Activity Assistive Technology Model by Lee, et al. The SETT Framework by Zabala The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology by Venkatesh, Thong & Xu. Also, OTPs may seek advanced training through the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America organization to receive their Assistive Technology Professional Certification and/or Seating and Mobility Specialist Certification. Additional trainings and certifications may specialize in a focus area such as the Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist for Individuals with Visual Impairments .
Mobility impairments
Wheelchairs
Wheelchairs are devices that can be manually propelled or electrically propelled, and that include a seating system and are designed to be a substitute for the normal mobility that most people have. Wheelchairs and other mobility devices allow people to perform mobility-related activities of daily living which include feeding, toileting, dressing, grooming, and bathing. The devices come in a number of variations where they can be propelled either by hand or by motors where the occupant uses electrical controls to manage motors and seating control actuators through a joystick, sip-and-puff control, head switches or other input devices. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing or input devices for caregivers. Wheelchairs are used by people for whom walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, or disability. Ambulatory wheelchair users may also use other devices, such as walkers.Newer advancements in wheelchair design enable wheelchairs to climb stairs, go off-road or propel using segway technology or additional add-ons like handbikes or power assists.
Transfer devices
Patient transfer devices generally allow patients with impaired mobility to be moved by caregivers between beds, wheelchairs, commodes, toilets, chairs, stretchers, shower benches, automobiles, swimming pools, and other patient support systems.The most common devices are transfer benches, stretcher or convertible chairs, sit-to-stand lifts, air bearing inflatable mattresses, gait belts and a slider board, usually used for transfer from a bed to a wheelchair or from a bed to an operating table. Highly dependent patients who cannot assist their caregiver in moving them often require a patient lift which though invented in 1955 and in common use since the early 1960s is still considered the state-of-the-art transfer device by OSHA and the American Nursing Association.
Walkers
A walker or walking frame is a tool for people with disabilities who need additional support to maintain balance or stability while walking. It consists of a frame that is about waist high, approximately twelve inches deep and slightly wider than the user. Walkers are also available in other sizes, such as for children, or for heavy people. Modern walkers are height-adjustable. The front two legs of the walker may or may not have wheels attached depending on the strength and abilities of the person using it. It is also common to see caster wheels or glides on the back legs of a walker with wheels on the front. A walker with three or four wheels is often referred to as a Rollator.Treadmills
is used to enhance walking ability of people with neurological injury. These machines are therapist-assisted devices that are used in the clinical setting, but is limited by the personnel and labor requirements placed on physical therapists. The BWSTT device, and many others like it, assist physical therapists by providing task-specific practice of walking in people following neurological injury.Prosthesis
A prosthesis, prosthetic, or prosthetic limb is a device that replaces a missing body part. It is part of the field of biomechatronics, the science of using mechanical devices with human muscular, musculoskeletal, and nervous systems to assist or enhance motor control lost by trauma, disease, or defect. Prostheses are typically used to replace parts lost by injury or missing from birth or to supplement defective body parts. Inside the body, artificial heart valves are in common use with artificial hearts and lungs seeing less common use but under active technology development. Other medical devices and aids that can be considered prosthetics include hearing aids, artificial eyes, palatal obturator, gastric bands, and dentures.Prostheses are specifically not orthoses, although given certain circumstances, a prosthesis might end up performing some or all of the same functionary benefits as an orthosis. Prostheses are technically the complete finished item. For instance, a C-Leg knee alone is not a prosthesis, but only a prosthetic component. The complete prosthesis would consist of the attachment system to the residual limb – usually a "socket", and all the attachment hardware components all the way down to and including the terminal device. Despite the technical difference, the terms are often used interchangeably.
The terms "prosthetic" and "orthotic" are adjectives used to describe devices such as a prosthetic knee. The terms "prosthetics" and "orthotics" are used to describe the respective allied health fields.
An Occupational Therapist's role in prosthetics includes therapy, training, and evaluations. Prosthetic training includes orientation to prosthetic components and terminology, donning and doffing, wearing schedule, and how to care for the residual limb and the prosthesis.
Exoskeletons
A powered exoskeleton is a wearable mobile machine that is powered by a system of electric motors, pneumatics, levers, hydraulics, or a combination of technologies that allow for limb movement with increased strength and endurance. Its design aims to provide back support, sense the user's motion, and send a signal to the motors that manage the gears. The exoskeleton supports the shoulder, waist, and thigh, and assists movement for lifting and holding heavy items, while lowering back stress.Adaptive seating and positioning
People with balance and motor function challenges often need specialized equipment to sit or stand safely and securely. This equipment is frequently specialized for specific settings such as in a classroom or nursing home. Positioning is often important in seating arrangements to ensure that user's body pressure is distributed equally without inhibiting movement in a desired way.Positioning devices have been developed to aid in allowing people to stand and bear weight on their legs without risk of a fall. These standers are generally grouped into two categories based on the position of the occupant. Prone standers distribute the body weight to the front of the individual and usually have a tray in front of them. This makes them good for users who are actively trying to carry out some task. Supine standers distribute the body weight to the back and are good for cases where the user has more limited mobility or is recovering from injury.