Exploring the Need for Assistive Technologies through Analyses of a Longitudinal Database of Older People in China

Exploring the Need for Assistive Technologies through Analyses of a Longitudinal Database of Older People in China

This research matched older people’s needs to 25 types of assistive technologies by analysing the newest wave of the longitudinal CHARLS Database, which included 10,818 older people participants. Informed by the Sociotechnical Theory, the research identified the unmet needs and urgent unmet needs for 8 assistive technologies that have users’ statistics in the CHARLS Database, along with the total needs and urgent total needs for 17 assistive technologies that do not have users’ statistics in the CHARLS Database, as well as the gender and age group differentiation with respect to users and users’ needs (both unmet needs and total needs) by investigating older people’s general health, disease and illness, functional limitation, assistive technology use, and personal and social activities. This research found that hearing aids have the highest level of unmet needs and urgent unmet needs. Catheters and urine collecting bags, electric wheelchairs, and travel devices have relatively high unmet needs but low urgent unmet needs. Walking sticks, corrective lenses and glasses, toilet series, and manual wheelchairs have relatively low unmet needs and urgent unmet needs. The highest total needs were found in alarm signallers with light/sound/vibration. Relatively high total needs have been found in grasping tools or reach extenders, personal emergency response systems, handrails and grab bars, watches (talking/touching), electrotherapy devices for pain, time management products and smart/white canes. Moderate levels of total needs were found for shower chairs, smart pillbox/pill organisers, pressure relief mattresses, therapeutic footwear, glucometers, talking blood pressure monitors, braille writing equipment/braillers and portable ramps. Overall, women generally have higher needs for assistive technology than man; Needs for most of the assistive technologies increased in higher age groups.

File reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher/author.