Physical and mental disabilities can be well managed more than ever before.
Even with the rise in the level of physical and mental impairment of children from their childbirth, there are more adaptive devices for persons with disabilities.
Some are tech devices for communication, assistive devices for intellectual disabilities or handicapped equipment for walking to help such population to contribute meaningfully to the society.
An unhealthy lifestyle and diet has been known to contribute to the weakening of the coordination system, the bones and muscles.
These organs and systems are mostly responsible for movement.
The most serious one is the disability of the elderly and the responsiveness of family towards these people in terms of managing their health.
Studies have revealed that our diet, exercise, and lifestyle at adulthood contribute significantly to the aging process and our health at a later life.
Unfortunately, not many seniors are active as they were in their 40s and 50s.
As we grow older, so also the capacity of our body organs decreases in their functioning.
From our late 50s, the risks of suffering a physical impairment or even a disability increase.
The forms of disability
There are three major areas one can suffer disability when one grows old. The senses, the body, and the mind.
Causes of impairment
Structural changes in the body can greatly affect our responsiveness to external stimuli, and also the wear and tear in the organs responsible for the circulatory and the coordination system.
This negatively affects the functions of the affected areas.
For example, in the transfer of blood and oxygen to the cells of a particular area of the body.
This usually results in to slow response to the target organs.
This will then affect mobility, force, and our fine motor skills.
That’s the reason most elderly find it difficult to do some of their daily routines in the 40s in their 70s.
Even when they try to do them, they’re not likely to do well because of the pains and difficulties experienced while walking, bending, stretching, etc.
Supporting the adapted population with mobility devices
If your senior is physically challenged and the impairment is limiting his mobility, then you can help the situation with physiotherapy walking aid assessment, you just have to visit your therapist for help.
These devices help people with difficulties in the movement to enable them
- Manage their condition effectively
- Move around without the support of others.
- Give them independence in movement, and also
- Limiting the risk of falling which may worsen their condition.
There are different types of mobility assistive devices to suit different people and their different conditions.
Some of them are wheelchairs, crutches, canes, scooters, prosthetic devices, walkers, orthotic devices, etc.
Wheelchairs
This mobility device for the disabled is used in order to enable patients to move around without putting weight on the weakened legs.
They bring more comfort to the patient than a walker, cane or crutches.
It can be easily propelled by your senior if you buy a lightweight wheelchair, and there would be no need to be pushed by someone else.
Crutches
Crutches are mostly used by people with temporal disabilities with the lower limbs or on the recovery or rehabilitation process.
It will help to transfer the bodyweight back to the upper body and keep the person upright.
They are in different forms such as the underarm crutch, forearm crutch, and platform crutch.
Scooters
Scooters can be similar to wheelchairs since they have wheels and can be driven like cars with its steering
It is used by people with less body weight and strength to move the manual wheelchair and it’s also comfortable to aid movement for the elderly.
