Evaluation of a home transfer pole during assisted sit-to-stand in older adults with mobility limitations

Mobility in the home is a difficult task for older adults with mobility limitations and is associated with a risk of injury from falling. However, it is a requisite for maintaining independence. A number of assistive technologies have been developed to help a number of different activities of daily living, one in specific is the transfer pole – a vertically oriented pole that pressure fits between ceiling and floor and helps the user stand-up. Three common configurations include a single vertical pole, a single pole with a horizontal grab-bar, and two vertical poles. The purpose of this study is to 1) determine the best configuration based on biomechanical and balance testing on older adults with mobility limitations and 2) optimize the design of the transfer pole to support forces safely and conform to the home environment. The anticipated benefit for Toronto Rehab is the capacity to recommend the safest transfer…….

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Alex Mihailidis

Student:

Daniel Vena

Partner:

Discipline:

Engineering - biomedical

Sector:

Education

University:

University of Toronto

Program: