MOBILITY AIDS FOR THE ELDERLY: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE BRAZILIAN MARKET

Mobility is an essential function to perform the various activities of daily living, being a key factor for the general health condition, independence and quality of life. With the ageing process, the subject goes through a series of changes that, ultimately, can affect his/her ability to move satisfactorily and with safety and independence. These limitations may lead to the need of help from others as well as the use of Assistive Technology (AT) devices, with the aim of improving safety and autonomy in the ambulation. This study aimed to discuss, from a design perspective, the challenges and the potentials for the improvement of the main mobility aids for the elderly. For the elderly, the use of a wheelchair has some specific issues that must be considered. The independent use of manual wheelchairs requires the user to apply forces on the rear wheels in a repetitive way (manual propulsion), which implies a biomechanical overload that, in long term, may lead to the incidence of upper limbs injuries.