The Importance of the 4-Wheeled Walker for Elderly Women ...
The Importance of the 4-Wheeled Walker for Elderly Women Living
in their Home Environment
- a three-year study
THE SWEDISH HANDICAP INSTITUTE
The study has been financed by the Swedish Ministry of Health and Social Affairs by a grant within the National Action Plan for Geriatric Care.
Author and co-ordinator for the study: Laila Jonsson, Head of the Assistive Technology Centre at Karlstad, Sweden. E-mail: laila.jonsson@ltblekinge.se Interviewer: Gudrun Ruhe Lindberg, PT. Scientific advice and review: Bo Malmberg, Ph.D., Institute of Gerontology at Jonkoping, Sweden.
? The Swedish Handicap Institute Box 510, SE-162 15 Vallingby, Sweden E-mail: registrator@hi.se Internet: hi.se
Cover Photo: Thomas Persson, Sydsvenskan Bild Print: Cedar Tree Design & Print, Dover, England. Order no: 02204 ISSN 1403-8633 ISRN HJNST-ROD-104-SE
The Importance of the 4-Wheeled Walker for Elderly Women Living
in their Home Environment
- a three-year study
Laila Jonsson The Swedish Handicap Institute
Karlskrona
Contents
Abstract and Synopsis Background
Older peoples' functional ability Hip fractures, a public health problem The 4-wheeled walker as a walking aid Living conditions of older people Problem description and aims Methodology Selection and method Results Analysis of drop-out Background data Resources The use of a 4-wheeled walker The compensating effect of the 4-wheeled walker Accidents due to falls Health and functional ability Sleep quality Vision and hearing Urinary incontinence Gait analysis
Balance test The socio-economic cost benefits of the 4-wheeled walker
Alternative homecare costs The public health costs of hip fractures Discussion References
The Importance of the 4-WheeIed Walker for Elderly Women Living in their Home Environment - a three year study
Laila Jonsson (The Centre for Providing Technical Aids for Elderly and Disabled People)
Abstract
Half of the women participating in this follow-up study, conducted three years after the original study, reported that their mobility had improved noticeably after using their walker for some time, this was despite a decline in their general state of health. The number of women who had had a fall since the initial interviews had not increased. Apart from the substantial public health cost savings that the use of the 4-wheeled walkers had achieved in terms of reduced home help and general support required the study subjects had remained active in their home environments thus accruing additional social benefits.
These findings endorsed those of the earlier study and confirmed the economic and social benefits achieved over time with consistent use of walkers even with individuals of advanced age and progressive physical decline.
Synopsis
This paper is based on three different-interview surveys carried out in 1998, 1999 and in 2001 with elderly women living in the Blekinge region who still live in their own home. The women were all over 75 years old and had already been given a 4-wheeled walker in 1998, the year of the first survey. 59 women took part in the first survey, 50 women took pat in the second survey and 30 women took part in the third survey. In the most recent survey the average age of the women was 87.
The purpose of this survey was to follow up and describe the living conditions for the women who used the 4-wheeled walking aid. The survey also investigates whether it is possible to discern evidence of financial and lifestyle benefits from using the 4-wheeled walking aid. The aim was also to study which changes that occurred over time and to try and show how these changes affect the need for the medical aid and other aid contributions.
The subjects experienced improved mobility after a period of training and of using the walking aid. The result is showing a significantly improved mobility although the subjective health had decreased and the health support had increased. As an explanation for the improved mobility, the women reported that they went out walking a lot and that they felt more confident with their walker. Half of the women had a normal gait pattern. A shift of body weight to one side was most common, with a limping gait which increased with age became more prominent. The women had poor balance that had worsened since the previous study. Some women had particular difficulty in rotating.
One third of the women had not had a fall since they were provided with their 4-wheeled walker. Less than half of the women had fallen one or more times since the initial study and, in the main, it was the same individuals that had fallen during the earlier reporting periods. Of the women who had fallen, none of them had been using their walker when the accident occurred. The individuals who fell were using sleeping tablets to a greater degree and had problems with dizziness. Almost half of the women reported problems
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