Psychological Influence of Wheelchairs on the Elderly Persons from Qualitative Research of Daily Living

Abstract

The aging of society has triggered advances in research on geriatric and other assistive devices (ADs), collectively called assistive technologies (ATs). We focused on the relationship between ADs and psychology, e.g., the psychological effect of the AD on users, taking the wheelchair as an example. Participants were 12 elderly persons whom we qualitative studied to identify detrimental factors. We found that elderly persons face the dilemma of maintaining physical function versus expanding mobility via aids such as wheelchairs. Users faced problems in physical function and body image – what impression does a wheelchair user make on other? We considered these problems and adapted a psychological model to aid AD developers in understanding the elderly psychological mindset. No matter how fancy or useful a device developed, after all, it cannot be practically applied without taking into account the physical aspects, lifestyles, and psychological circumstances of elderly persons.