Needs and Demands for Assistive Devices amongst the Middle-aged and Elderly people in Community.

• Main Authors: Wu,Yun-Fen, 吳沄棻
• Other Authors: Yeh, Ling-Ling
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/21925985705461249055

碩士 === 亞洲大學 === 健康產業管理學系長期照護組 === 101 === Although those who the elderly and disable people live in community might have needs for assistive devices, rare researches concern with whether their needs have been met or not. Thus, this study aims to examine the need status and determine the related factors to the needs and demands. It hopes that the research results will be the reference resources to develop the comprehensive long-term care systems and regulate appropriately the mechanism of supply and demand in the market. This study recruits subjects aged over 50 purposively in community, and excludes the people being not able to express with cognition function impairment, and being in institutions. The total study subjects are 137. This study conducts the structured questionnaire. The assessment of activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) were defined as the needs for assistant devices, while the utilization happened on a specific need were defined as the demand. Using logistic regression models detects the related factors to needs and demands for mobile assistant devices. The study results show that the needs for assistive devices in IADL items mostly have not met, which reveal over 70% needs help. The needs for assistive devices in ADL items mostly have met. Almost 70% of study subjects’ needs for mobile assistive devices have met. The related factors to need for mobile devices include unemployment and not knowing of the assistive devices center, while the related factors of family caregivers and mild disability to demand for mobile devices. The study results of need status might offer the valuable information for decision makers in long-term care systems and to regulate the market. The research also finds the lack of knowledge about assistive devices might result in low utilization; thus, suggest reinforcing the promotions strategies in order to improve the autonomy of disable people and achieve the goal of aging in place.