Design and Construction of a Posterior Walker for Older Adults “Moviclinic”

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianina Garrido Silva ◽  
Juan Manuel Arguello Espinosa ◽  
Jessica Gissella Maradey Lázaro ◽  
Geidy Alexandra Bayona Velasco ◽  
Angela Dayana Suescun Mejia
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Detection System ◽  
Obstacle Detection ◽  
Assistive Devices ◽  
World Health ◽  
Element Analysis ◽  
Peace Of Mind ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract In recent years, the population of older adults (i.e age over 65) will double from 11% to 22% according to statistics from the World Health Organization (i.e WHO). The assistive devices for gait (i.e Assistive Devices and Mobility Aids, ADMA) allow the movement and mobility of people with reduced abilities to walk, providing additional support of the human body to the ground. Some authors have classified these devices as fixed and mobile. Fixed devices are made up of parallel bars or handrails and mobile devices that include walking sticks, crutches, and walkers. Especially, mobile devices allow the gait to be carried out by leaning on the device so that the patient will have greater stability and balance; as well as autonomy on regular terrain. Likewise, these reduce the risk of complications such as falls and immobilizations, which greatly improves the patient’s functionality and in rehabilitation can help to reduce pain in the muscles and joints by redistributing weight. The “Moviclinic” rear walker is made up of a metal frame, equipped with forearm support and a front safety stop, which provides security for the user and his family. The rear wheels allow to direct the element and with the front wheels regulates the speed. Besides, it has an obstacle detection system which is based on the ultrasound principle, generating an audible alarm when detecting them with two priority levels, and the alarm system activated directly by the user. This feature always allows both the user and his family or caregiver to have peace of mind at all the times. Electronic design is also included. This article aims to show the design, construction and validation of a support device for elderly patients with gait disturbances called “Moviclinic” based on the application of the “Design Thinking” methodology, Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and a technological surveillance analysis to make a comparison with current walkers and be able to offer a quality, efficient and affordable product. Finally, the test protocols carried out and the results obtained when testing their operation.

scholarly journals Design of an Obstacle and Location-Based Detector with Microcontroller System

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 55-62
Author(s):  
Adedotun O. Owojori ◽  
Jane O. O. Mebawondu ◽  
Jacob O. Mebawondu
Keyword(s):  
Visually Impaired ◽  
Detection System ◽  
Feedback Mechanism ◽  
Obstacle Detection ◽  
World Health ◽  
C Programming Language ◽  
Impaired Patient ◽  
C Programming ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Efficient Power

Out of seven billion of the world’s population, two billion and two million that amounts to 31.43% have visual impairment or blindness according to the World Health Organization (WHO) statistics report. Hence, the need to develop a wearable device with reduced size, efficient power usage, and for more comfortability of the visually impaired or blind people. This work aims at designing an obstacle detection system using an ultrasonic sensor interfaced with an Arduino board to track location, alert patient, and send location messages of visually impaired patient to guardians as a feedback mechanism using a GPRS and GSM module. The C programming language was used as the instruction code to interface Arduino device to carry out given tasks. At the design level, the circuit was first tested on Proteus software for simulation purposes before its hardware implementation. The results obtained from the test show the variation of distance as the patient approaches the obstacle, and messages received when a fix was obtained. This design concept would help reduce danger across the way of those with sight defects and allow them to go to familiar places without any aid smoothly.

scholarly journals Disability, Frailty and Depression in the community-dwelling older adults with Osteosarcopenia

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ki-Soo Park ◽  
Gyeong-Ye Lee ◽  
Young-Mi Seo ◽  
Sung-Hyo Seo ◽  
Jun-Il Yoo
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Short Form ◽  
Geriatric Depression Scale ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Normal Group ◽  
World Health ◽  
Common Disease ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract Background The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of osteosarcopenia in the over 60-year-old community and to evaluate whether osteosarcopenia is associated with disability, frailty and depression. Methods This study was performed using the baseline data of Namgaram-2, among the 1010 surveyed subjects, 885 study subjects who were 60 years or older and had all necessary tests performed were selected. The Kaigo-Yobo checklist (frailty), World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) and Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form-Korean (GDSSF-K) were used. The Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS 2019) were applied in this study. Osteopenia was measured using data from dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and osteopenia was diagnosed when the T-score was less than − 1.0. The study subjects were divided into four groups: the normal group, in which both sarcopenia and osteopenia were undiagnosed, osteopenia only, sarcopenia only and the osteosarcopenia group, which was diagnosed with both sarcopenia and osteopenia. Results Of the 885 subjects over 60 years old evaluated, the normal group comprised 34.0%, the only osteopenia group 33.7%, the only sarcopenia group 13.1%, and the osteosarcopenia group 19.2%. WHODAS (17.5, 95% CI: 14.8-20.1), Kaigo-Yobo (3.0, 95% CI: 2.6-3.4), and GDSSF mean score (4.6, 95% CI: 3.9-5.4) were statistically significantly higher in the osteosarcopenia group compared the other groups. Partial eta squared (ηp2) of WHODAS (0.199) and Kaigo-Yobo (0.148) values ​​according to Osteosarcopenia were large, and GDSSF (0.096) was medium Conclusions Osteosarcopenia is a relatively common disease group in the older adults community that may cause deterioration of health outcomes. Therefore, when evaluating osteopenia or sarcopenia in the older adults, management of those in both disease groups should occur together.

scholarly journals Functional difficulties and toileting among older adults in Ghana: evidence from the World Health Organization Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Ghana Wave 1

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Kofi Awuviry-Newton ◽  
Kylie Wales ◽  
Meredith Tavener ◽  
Paul Kowal ◽  
Julie Byles
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Marital Status ◽  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
World Health ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Functional Difficulties ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Global Ageing

Abstract Ghana's older population is projected to increase in coming decades and as a result will see increasing care needs. Understanding the functional difficulties older adults experience, and the associated factors, will help identify relevant intervention to assist older adults in meeting their care needs. This study aimed to analyse the prevalence of functional difficulties among older adults in Ghana, and examine how the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (WHO-ICF) conceptual framework can relate to toileting difficulty to understand the factors that increase older adults’ care needs. Data were for 5,096 adults aged ⩾50 years from the WHO Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE) Ghana Wave 1. Difficulties were assessed using self-reported difficulty on 22 functional items, including toileting. Multivariate logistic regression tested associations between toileting and other factors as related to the WHO-ICF conceptual framework. Older adults reported climbing one flight of stairs without resting as a common functional difficulty. Difficulty eating was the item least identified. Toileting difficulty was ranked second among five total activities of daily living difficulties. Age, marital status, self-reported health, memory, bodily pain, short- and far-distance vision, obesity, stroke, chronic lung disease, trust at individual and neighbourhood level, toilet facility type, socialising with co-workers, and public and religious meeting attendance were statistically significantly associated with toileting difficulty in the final parsimonious model. Post-hoc analysis testing interaction revealed that interaction existed between female sex and never married marital status (p = 0.04), and obesity and widowed marital status (p = 0.01), with toileting as the outcome. A significant level of functional difficulty existed among Ghanaian older adults in this sample. Toileting difficulty was associated with factors across different components in the WHO-ICF, emphasising functional, social and environmental factors related to this fundamental human activity.

scholarly journals World Health Report on Vision: Aging Implications for Global Vision and Eye Health

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 807-808
Author(s):  
Bonnielin Swenor ◽  
Varshini Varadaraj ◽  
Moon Jeong Lee ◽  
Heather Whitson ◽  
Pradeep Ramulu
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Visual Impairment ◽  
Vision Loss ◽  
World Health ◽  
World Health Report ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Eye Care ◽  
Health Report ◽  
Public Health Challenges ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract In 2019, the World Health Organization World Report on Vision estimated that that 2.2 billion people have a vision impairment, of which almost half could have been prevented or is yet to be addressed. As the global population ages and the prevalence of visual impairment increases, inequities in eye care and the downstream health and aging consequences of vision loss will become magnified. This session will: (1) provide key information regarding the burden of eye disease and visual impairment among older adults worldwide; (2) outline a framework created to conceptualize the aging and long-term health implications of vision loss, and (3) discuss the global public health challenges to eye care and to maximizing health for older adults with visual impairments.

scholarly journals Machine Learning based Human Fall Detection System

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (VI) ◽  
pp. 2677-2682
Author(s):  
Nishanth P
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Detection System ◽  
Wearable Sensors ◽  
Fall Detection ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
World Health ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Data Output ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Context Features

Falls have become one of the reasons for death. It is common among the elderly. According to World Health Organization (WHO), 3 out of 10 living alone elderly people of age 65 and more tend to fall. This rate may get higher in the upcoming years. In recent years, the safety of elderly residents alone has received increased attention in a number of countries. The fall detection system based on the wearable sensors has made its debut in response to the early indicator of detecting the fall and the usage of the IoT technology, but it has some drawbacks, including high infiltration, low accuracy, poor reliability. This work describes a fall detection that does not reliant on wearable sensors and is related on machine learning and image analysing in Python. The camera's high-frequency pictures are sent to the network, which uses the Convolutional Neural Network technique to identify the main points of the human. The Support Vector Machine technique uses the data output from the feature extraction to classify the fall. Relatives will be notified via mobile message. Rather than modelling individual activities, we use both motion and context information to recognize activities in a scene. This is based on the notion that actions that are spatially and temporally connected rarely occur alone and might serve as background for one another. We propose a hierarchical representation of action segments and activities using a two-layer random field model. The model allows for the simultaneous integration of motion and a variety of context features at multiple levels, as well as the automatic learning of statistics that represent the patterns of the features.

scholarly journals COVID-19 Pandemic: The Lived Experiences of Older Adults in Aged Care Homes

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-317
Author(s):  
Shi Yin Chee
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Aged Care ◽  
Care Homes ◽  
World Health ◽  
Phenomenological Method ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The World ◽  
Health Organization

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused untold fear and suffering for older adults across the world. According to the World Health Organization, older adults in aged care homes are at a higher risk of the infection living in an enclosed environment with others. This article adopts a qualitative approach using Colaizzi’s phenomenological method to explore the lived experiences of older adults during COVID-19. Between December 2019 and June 2020, 10 in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants aged 60 years and above in two aged care homes. The lived tension that has penetrated all participants’ stories in five themes of the meanings described as ‘disconnected in a shrinking world’ filled with uncertainties. COVID-19 has brought unprecedented challenges and disproportionate threat onto older adults’ lives, relationships and well-being. The overarching message was that older adults believe that ‘this too shall pass’ and regain their freedom that was lost during the pandemic.

Fostering Civic Awareness and Participation Among Older Adults in Hong Kong: An Empowerment-Based Participatory Photo-Voice Training Model

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (9) ◽  
pp. 1008-1015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheryl Hiu-Kwan Chui ◽  
On Fung Chan ◽  
Jennifer Y. M. Tang ◽  
Terry Yat Sang Lum
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Civic Participation ◽  
Training Model ◽  
World Health ◽  
Willingness To Participate ◽  
Voice Training ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Photo Voice

Social and civic participation are important tenets for both the age-friendly city and active aging frameworks promoted by the World Health Organization. Yet older adults are often under-represented in civic affairs. This study examines the effects of using photo-voice as a method in facilitating older adults’ civic participation. Specifically, an empowerment-based participatory photo-voice training model was implemented among older adults with limited formal education in Hong Kong. We conducted three focus groups comprising 12 older adults and one in-depth interview with a social worker. Findings revealed that photo-voice is an effective tool in capturing older adults’ views that would have otherwise been difficult to articulate in words or in writing, and in enhancing older adults’ ability and willingness to participate in community and civic affairs. These findings underscore the importance of using novel techniques to build a more inclusive society that incorporates the views of older adults.

scholarly journals Development of the Troponin Detection System Based on the Nanostructure

Micromachines ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taek Lee ◽  
Jae-Hyuk Ahn ◽  
Jinha Choi ◽  
Yeonju Lee ◽  
Jin-Myung Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Detection System ◽  
Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy ◽  
The Body ◽  
World Health ◽  
Detection Techniques ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Creatine Kinase Mb ◽  
High Death ◽  
Surface Enhanced Raman ◽  
Health Organization

During the last 30 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a gradual increase in the number of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD), not only in developed but also in developing countries. In particular, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is one of the severe CVDs because of the high death rate, damage to the body, and various complications. During these harmful effects, rapid diagnosis of AMI is key for saving patients with CVD in an emergency. The prompt diagnosis and proper treatment of patients with AMI are important to increase the survival rate of these patients. To treat patients with AMI quickly, detection of a CVD biomarker at an ultra-low concentration is essential. Cardiac troponins (cTNs), cardiac myoglobin (cMB), and creatine kinase MB are typical biomarkers for AMI detection. An increase in the levels of those biomarkers in blood implies damage to cardiomyocytes and thus is related to AMI progression. In particular, cTNs are regarded as a gold standard biomarker for AMI diagnosis. The conventional TN detection system for detection of AMI requires long measurement time and is labor-intensive and tedious. Therefore, the demand for sensitive and selective TN detection techniques is increasing at present. To meet this demand, several approaches and methods have been applied to develop a TN detection system based on a nanostructure. In the present review, the authors reviewed recent advances in TN biosensors with a focus on four detection systems: (1) An electrochemical (EC) TN nanobiosensor, (2) field effect transistor (FET)-based TN nanobiosensor, (3) surface plasmon resonance (SPR)-based TN nanobiosensor and (4) surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-based TN nanobiosensor.

The Influence of Social Support and Coping on Quality of Life Among Elderly With Age-Related Hearing Loss

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 170-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Moser ◽  
Wolfgang Luxenberger ◽  
Wolfgang Freidl
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Support ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Hearing Loss ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
World Health ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Age Related Hearing Loss

Purpose The consequences of hearing loss hinder the everyday life of older adults and are associated with reduced well-being. The research aim was to explore the influence of hearing problems, various coping strategies, and perceived social support on quality of life. Method Sixty-five older adults with age-related hearing loss (≥55 years) in Austria participated and completed a paper–pencil survey with standardized questionnaires: Hearing Handicap Inventory for the Elderly (Ventry and Weinstein, 1982), Assessment for Coping and Stress (Laireiter, 1997), short form of the Social Support Questionnaire (Fydrich, Sommer, Tydecks, & Brähler, 2009), and World Health Organization Quality of Life Scale–Brief Version (World Health Organization, 1996). Results Quality of life was predicted by perceived social support and the number of comorbid diseases (i.e., the physical, psychological, environmental, and social quality of life was better the greater the extent of perceived social support and poorer the more diseases from which the participants suffered). Conclusions Perceived social support may be a relevant factor to focus on in auditory rehabilitation programs, in particular, for participants who communicate little support in hearing-related situations and are, hence, at a relative disadvantage. The involvement of significant others in counseling could facilitate the everyday life for older adults with age-related hearing loss and their significant others.

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