Based on initial research, the team identified the following problem areas and sorted them into categories:
Use:
- People don’t use brakes (rollator)
- People don’t like walking close to walker
- Stand lifts take a lot of shoulder strength
- Sometimes takes two people to roll someone over to change Depends, etc.
- People don’t lock wheelchairs/rollators before getting up/sitting down
- Walkers with all pegs difficult to use
- Walker is not portable and prevents other actions once user is seated
- Gait belt design can be dangerous
Ease of Motion:
- Walkers too light weight
- Tennis balls better than none (walker)
- Walkers with wheels are better than pegs
Independence:
- Devices are there to help people move on their own, but some people rely on them too much
- Patients furniture walk – want to be independent, but devices can be clunky
- Can’t stand without walker (mental crutch)
- Parallel Bars require a lot of body strength
- Must pay close attention to vitals when moving (sitting up after laying down for long time)
- Patients lose balance when standing
Stability:
- Use pillow case on slide board to help them get out of bed
- Rollators less safe
- Walker not portable with wheelchair
- Rollators hard to stop downhill
Use and Ease of Motion:
- One-handed hemi-walker for stroke patients
- Quad cane for more stability
- Platform walkers better than hemi-walkers – stability on both sides
Use and Independence:
- Some people scoot with feet in wheelchairs
Use, Ease of Motion, Stability, Independence:
- Patients have anxiety when using products
- Certain products can’t be used due to legal issues