The Effect of Changing from a Silver Car to a Rollator on the Amount of Physical Activity of Elderly People in Need of Nursing Care

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K12171
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 90150:Medical assistive technology-related
• Research Institution: Fukuoka International University of Health and Welfare (2019-2022); International University of Health and Welfare (2018)
• Principal Investigator: Kiitajima Eiji 福岡国際医療福祉大学, 医療学部, 教授 (10513468)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 東 登志夫 長崎大学, 医歯薬学総合研究科(保健学科), 教授 (40244090) ; 東 祐二 国立障害者リハビリテーションセンター(研究所), 研究所 障害工学研究部, 研究部長 (40531322)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 福祉用具 / 高齢者 / 歩行補助具 / 歩行車 / シルバーカー / 体幹前傾角度 / 介護保険 / 転倒

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Subjects were asked to walk on a test path using a silver car and a rollator, and the amount of change in trunk angle during walking was measured, compared, and analyzed. The subjects were three university students wearing an elderly simulation set. A markerless motion capture device was used as the measurement device. Descriptive statistics were used to compare the results, with a trunk forward tilt angle of 15° or less as the reference value. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the RMS values between the rollator group and the silver car group.
Only one of the nine data sets for the rollators met the criterion, and the comparison of RMS values between the two groups showed a significant trend at the 10% level of significance. The result of comparing the RMS values between the two groups was significant at the 10% level, suggesting that "Rollators tend to have a lower change in the angle of trunk forward tilt than silver cars.

Free Research Field

リハビリテーション科学・福祉工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究でシルバーカーに比較して歩行車を使用することで，体幹角度の変化量が減少することを明らかにすることができれば，根拠をもって，歩行補助具選択を提案ことが可能となる．結果として，介護保険制度への提言，さらに転倒などの事故による医療費や介護費用の削減に寄与することが期待できる．