scholarly journals An Effectiveness and Cost-Estimation Model for Deploying Assistive Technology Solutions in Elderly Care

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra Maresova ◽  
Lukas Rezny ◽  
Petr Bauer ◽  
Oluwaseun Fadeyia ◽  
Olaniyi Eniayewu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Estimation ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Assistive Devices ◽  
Smart Device ◽  
Estimation Model ◽  
Target Groups

Abstract Background Deployment of modern assistive technologies is one of the major trends contained in the strategies of developed countries. However, the use of technology in households is not yet a common practice. The aim of this paper is present a model for assessment of selected smart device solutions in elderly care and the evaluation of overall care costs. The model provides the optimal set of devices for different target groups in terms of financial savings. Methods The model uses demographic projections taken from Eurostat for EU countries and the disability incidence from the annual report of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic as an input. The model was implemented in the software Stella Professional dedicated to system dynamics modelling including a web interface and is accessible online. Results In relation to the combination of five assistive devices for the elderly, the optimal solution, the cost savings are 37.8% or182 billion CZK), cumulatively in the simulated time period 2021-2060. Out of the five available assistive devices, up to three - UpWalker, Jaco robotic arm and Poseidon - were employed by the model for different target groups. Conclusion According to the performed analysis the assistive technologies proved a significant potential to maintain the quality of life of elderly and lessen the burden on public budgets. With respect to the ongoing demographic transition, the need to employ smart device solutions should further increase and their price could decline with increasing scale of production and overall advancement in technology.

scholarly journals From a biological template model to gait assistance with an exosuit

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vahid Firouzi ◽  
Ayoob Davoodi ◽  
Fariba Bahrami ◽  
Maziar A. Sharbafi
Keyword(s):  
Elderly People ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Reaction Force ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Assistive Devices ◽  
Assistive Device ◽  
Control Approach ◽  
And Control

AbstractBy invention of soft wearable assistive devices, known as exosuits, a new aspect in assisting unimpaired subjects is introduced. In this study, we designed and developed an exosuit with compliant biarticular thigh actuators, called BAExo. Unlike common method of using rigid actuators in exosuits, the BAExo is made of serial elastic actuators (SEA) resembling artificial muscles (AM). This bioinsipred design is complemented by the novel control concept of using the ground reaction force to adjust these AMs’ stiffness in the stance phase. By locking the motors in the swing phase the SEAs will be simplified to passive biarticular springs, which is sufficient for leg swinging. The key concept in our design and control approach is synthesizing human locomotion to develop assistive device, instead of copying the outputs of human motor control. Analysing human walking assistance using an experiment-based OpenSim model demonstrates the advantages of the proposed design and control of BAExo, regarding metabolic cost reduction and efficiency of the system. In addition, pilot experiments with the recently developed BAExo hardware support the applicability of the introduced method.Author summaryAging and mobility of elderly people are of crucial concern in developed countries. The U.S. Census Bureau reports that by the middle of the 21st century, about 80 million Americans will be 65 or older. According to the group’s research, medical costs resulting from falls by the elderly are expected to approach $32.4 billion by 2020. Therefore, assistance of elderly people and making the assistive devices more intelligent is a need in near future. However, this is not the only application of assistive devices. Exosuits, as soft wearable robots, introduced a new aspect in assisting a large range of population, even healthy young people. We introduce a novel design and control method for a new exosuit. As the research in the field of wearable assistive devices is growing in recent years and its application in daily life becomes more evident for the society, such studies with a unique view in design and control could have a significant impact. Our proposed biologically inspired approach could be potentially applied to other exosuits.

scholarly journals Older people’s challenges and expectations of healthcare in Ghana: A qualitative study

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0245451
Author(s):  
Confidence Alorse Atakro ◽  
Abigail Atakro ◽  
Janet Sintim Aboagye ◽  
Alice Aluwah Blay ◽  
Stella Boatemaa Addo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Financial Burden ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Inadequate Information

Background The increase in the number of elderly persons in developing countries has not had a corresponding increase in social and health care support systems for the elderly. There is a substantial difference in the quality of healthcare received by older people in developing and developed countries. Elderly persons in developing countries including Ghana are increasingly becoming marginalised and isolated. There is, however, limited evidence of healthcare challenges and expectations by elderly persons in Ghana. This study explored healthcare challenges and expectations of elderly persons to inform policy that could lead to improved quality of life for elderly persons in Ghana. Materials and methods Qualitative exploratory descriptive study design was used in conducting this study. Semi-structured interviews were used in collecting data from 30 participants from three regions in Ghana (10 from each region). Data analysis was carried out through content analysis. Results Four themes were extracted from data. These themes were: 1. Inadequate information from health workers regarding care of the older person. 2. Queuing frustrations. 3. Financial burden. 4. Focused elderly care demand. Conclusion The elderly in Ghana experience challenges of healthcare which include inadequate information, queuing frustrations and financial burdens. Elderly persons also have expectations of healthcare which include having dedicated professionals and units that will attend to them during their hospital visits. Academic and clinical gerontology experts could collaborate and help improve gerontology knowledge of health workers through workshops and conferences. Improving knowledge of health workers in gerontology may be a positive step towards meeting healthcare expectations of older Ghanaians.

scholarly journals What composes desirable formal at-home elder care? An analysis for multiple service combinations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shinya Sugawara
Keyword(s):  
Health Status ◽  
Home Care ◽  
Elder Care ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Services ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
At Home

AbstractI estimate the relationship between combinations of multiple services for formal at-home elder care and health status. As a reasonable substitute for expensive institutional care, at-home formal elderly care is gaining popularity in developed countries. Because at-home care is composed of many small and complementary services, the relationship between multiple service combinations and health status requires analysis. However, the high dimensionality of these combinations makes estimation difficult. This study employs a regression analysis using care service combinations as cross-dummy explanatory variables. To reduce the combination dimensions, I select the combinations that are purchased jointly by a sufficient number of the elderly using basket analysis. I apply this method to claims data for Japanese long-term care, for which the social insurance program has resulted in the emergence of a market that offers many care services for the elderly. The empirical results show that only 200 combinations of 14 at-home care services are used by more than 0.03% of the insured in Japan. Of these combinations, rehabilitation services have a considerable positive correlation with the health status of the elderly. However, their use is limited owing to regional disparities in the location of such services.

A survey of assistive robots and systems for elderly care

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karthik Kumar Santhanaraj ◽  
Ramya M.M. ◽  
Dinakaran D.
Keyword(s):  
Elderly Care ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Holistic Care ◽  
Ageing Population ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Assistive Robots ◽  
Aged People ◽  
To Come

Purpose The rousing phenomenon of the ageing population is becoming a vital issue and demanding fulminant actions. Population ageing is a resultant of the enhanced health-care system, groovy antibiotics, medications and economic well-being. Old age leads to copious amounts of ailments. Aged people, owing to their reduced mobility and enervating disabilities, tend to rely upon caretakers and/or nursing personnel. With the increasing vogue of nuclear families in the society, the elderly are at the risk of being unveiled to emotional, physical and fiscal insecurities in the years to come. Caring for those seniors will be an enormous undertaking. Design/methodology/approach There is a dire need for an intelligent assistive system to meet out the requirements of continuous holistic care and monitoring. Assistive robots and systems used for elderly care are studied. The design motivation for the robots, elderly–robot interaction capabilities and technology incorporated in the systems are examined meticulously. Findings From the survey, it is suggested that the subsystems of an assistive robot revamped for better human–machine interactions will be a potential alternative to the human counterpart. Affirmable advancements in the robot design and interaction methodologies that would increase the holistic care and assistance for aged people are analyzed and listed. Originality/value This paper reviews the available assistive technologies and suggests a synergistic model that can be adopted for the caring of the elderly.

HOME CARE IN OUTPATIENT CARE – STATE AND DEVELOPMENT IN BULGARIA

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 571-574
Author(s):  
Ivanka Stambolova ◽  
Stefan Stambolov
Keyword(s):  
Home Care ◽  
Outpatient Care ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Elderly Person ◽  
Chronically Ill ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Legal Regulation ◽  
Health And Social Care

In outpatient care the home care, including hospices, is recognized as a model for providing quality, cost-effective and charitable care. The focus is mainly on the care that helps everyday lifeof the patient as well as the relatives, rather than on treatment, and in most cases it takes place in the patients' home. In Europe, in recent years there has been a real "boom" in home care due to demographic processes linked to increased needs for elderly care and chronically ill under the conditions of limited financial resources.In outpatient medical care in our country by means of a national framework contract there are regulated visits to the patient's home by a doctor, as well as visits by medical staff employed by him - nurse, midwife, medical assistant / paramedic / for manipulation, counseling and monitoring. At the same time there is no regulated legal activity in the Republic of Bulgaria, which is essentially the subject of home care.Since 1994 „Caritas“ has carried out the "Home Care" service, which provides a complex - health and social care for over 360 sick adults in a place where the elderly person feels the most comfortable - in their own home. „Caritas Home Care“ is provided by mobile teams of nurses and social assistants who visit the elderly at home and provide them with the necessary care according to their health and social needs.With the establishment of the first „Home Care Center“ in Lozenets region, Sofia, with the support of the PHARE ACCESS program in 2003, the Bulgarian Red Cross introduces in Bulgaria an integrated model for provision of health care and social services in the home of adults, chronically ill and people with permanent disabilities. To date, there are a number of problems in home care related to the realization of home care for patients in need in out-of-hospital settings: lack of legal regulation for home care, lack of qualified staff in outpatient care; lack of organization and structures for care; unsettled funding and the inability of the part of the population that is most in need of care to pay for it, there is no regulation to control the activity. Although home care began over 20 years ago, our country is yet to make its way to the European program called „Home care in Europe“.

Development of a Mobile Time Banking system on Blockchain (MTBB) for Community Elderly Care (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hungyi Chen ◽  
Yuan-Chia Chu ◽  
Feipei Lai
Keyword(s):  
Care Service ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
Banking System ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Community Services ◽  
The Other ◽  
Smartphone App ◽  
Smartphone Apps ◽  
Member Service ◽  
Blockchain Technology

BACKGROUND Time banking is a good mechanism to provide elderly care in community services with members having mutual benefits, besides social welfare and out-of-pocket fee payment mechanisms. With further integration with off-line works, mobile time banking may provide a better way, compared to traditional web access. On the other hand, blockchain technology has been long encountering difficulty in integrating with real-world economies or activities. Development of a mobile time banking system on blockchain (MTBB) may provide a realistic solution for community elderly care. Besides, the tracking mechanism from blockchain technology itself may also help track the elderly care service transaction records in order to measure better Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by United Nations (UN). OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to develop the MTBB, which enables tracking service transaction records in community elderly care through mutual helps. METHODS The MTBB was developed to empower organizations, either Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) organizations, or Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs), to issue time tokens of their proprietary token types to the members who participate in the volunteer activities organized by the organizations respectively. In the service activities, members sign in and sign out before and after the services by using a smartphone app, and then get the time tokens afterwards. Members with time tokens can then exchange time tokens for elderly care services using the same smartphone app. MultiChain is used as the blockchain technology stack, as one of its features to support multiple token types is critical. RESULTS Database applications with smartphone apps integrated with MultiChain were developed. The whole set of the database schema was integrated with two smartphone apps, one for members, and the other for organizations, in addition to the two backend operations modules, one for organizations, and the other for managing all organizations and members. The MultiChain wallet was also integrated into the member app, as well as the organization backend modules for keeping track of the service transactions and time tokens. Metadata with the service transaction information is stored in the MultiChain blocks so that the transaction records are immutable and can thus be analyzed in the future. CONCLUSIONS The twelve characteristics of Cahn’s time banking are the guidelines of developing this MTBB with integration of MultiChain blockchain technology for tracking service transaction records. The study also combines the 1-to-1 member service exchange with organizations holding volunteer activities and issuing proprietary time tokens. With the blockchain transaction tracking mechanism, all of the elderly care service records through or within organizations can be tracked and analyzed to align with UN’s five SDGs.

scholarly journals How did Sweden Fail the Pandemic?

2021 ◽  
pp. 002073142199484
Author(s):  
Finn Diderichsen
Keyword(s):  
Elderly Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Nordic Countries ◽  
The Other ◽  
Differential Survival ◽  
Adequate Care ◽  
Differential Exposure ◽  
The Government ◽  
Differential Immunity ◽  
Inequalities In Mortality

Sweden has since the start of the pandemic a COVID-19 mortality rate that is 4 to 10 times higher than in the other Nordic countries. Also, measured as age-standardized all-cause excess mortality in the first half of 2020 compared to previous years Sweden failed in comparison with the other Nordic countries, but only among the elderly. Sweden has large socioeconomic and ethnic inequalities in COVID-19 mortality. Geographical, ethnic, and socioeconomic inequalities in mortality can be due to differential exposure to the virus, differential immunity, and differential survival. Most of the country differences are due to differential exposure, but the socioeconomic disparities are mainly driven by differential survival due to an unequal burden of comorbidity. Sweden suffered from an unfortunate timing of tourists returning from virus hotspots in the Alps and Sweden's government response came later and was much more limited than elsewhere. The government had an explicit priority to protect the elderly in nursing and care homes but failed to do so. The staff in elderly care are less qualified and have harder working conditions in Sweden, and they lacked adequate care for the clients. Sweden has in recent years diverged from the Scandinavian welfare model by strong commercialization of primary care and elderly care.

scholarly journals A Study on Supply–Demand Satisfaction of Community-Based Senior Care Combined with the Psychological Perception of the Elderly

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 643
Author(s):  
Jiangang Shi ◽  
Wenwen Hua ◽  
Daizhong Tang ◽  
Ke Xu ◽  
Quanwei Xu
Keyword(s):  
Latent Variables ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Strategic Decisions ◽  
Community Based ◽  
The Government

Based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory and customer satisfaction theory, we constructed a satisfaction model for supply–demand satisfaction for community-based senior care (SSCSC) combined with the psychological perspective of the elderly, and four dimensions of basic living needs (BLNs), living environment (LE), personal traits (PTs), and livability for the aged (LA) were selected to construct the model. The data were obtained from 296 questionnaires from seniors over 50 years old (or completed by relatives on their behalf, according to their actual situation). Twenty-two observed variables were selected for the five latent variables, and their interactions were explored using structural equation modeling. The results showed that LA was the most significant factor influencing SSCSC, and it was followed by BLNs and LE. PTs did not show a direct effect on LA, but they could have an indirect effect on SSCSC through influencing BLNs and LE. Based on the current state of community aging satisfaction, we propose to establish a community elderly care service system based on the basic needs of the elderly population, providing differentiated and refined elderly care services and improving the level of aging-friendly communities. This study provides references for the government to formulate relevant policies and other supply entities to make strategic decisions and has important implications for further enhancing community elderly services to become an important part of the social security system for the elderly.

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