Team: Andrea Dickey, Noah Goldman, Robin Parrish, Geonyoung Kim
Purpose:
One in three adults over the age of 65 years of age falls each year. These falls result in fractures, decreased mobility, fear and trauma. In one study, while 74% of subjects were prescribed assistive devices, only 21% of falls occurred while patients were using devices. It can therefore be gathered that most falls occur when an elderly individual is not using his or her device. The chance of falling significantly increases when these users forgo their devices, as 30-50% of users who abandon their prescribed walkers represent a highly disproportionate number of at-home falls. Additionally, those elderly who do use their assistive mobility assist devices will often leave them behind to maneuver through tighter spaces in the home such as kitchens, hallways, and bathrooms. This project seeks to develop an assistive device which can more easily and conveniently be taken throughout the entirety of an individual’s home, such that they are more likely to use the device at all times, decreasing their chance of falling.