Exploring the use of assistive products to promote functional independence in self-care activities in the bathroom

Abstract

In homes, problems in daily functioning of older people often occur in the bathroom, especially in the transfers to the toilet and/or shower/bath. Assistive products have the potential to maximise functional independence (i.e. performance without assistance from another person) in everyday activities; however, more research is needed to better understand the impact of this technology on independence in the transfers in the bathroom. Additionally, little is known about the role of the environmental factors in the process of implementing bathroom adaptations. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to examine the relationship between the use of assistive products and independence in the transfers in the bathroom. The secondary objective was to determine the role of the environmental factors in predicting the implementation of bathroom adaptations. 193 community-dwelling older adults with disabilities in the basic activities of daily life, who requested public long-term care services in Spain, were included. Data was collected in the participant´s homes using a standardised assessment procedure. There was no significant association between the number of categories of assistive products used in the toilet transfer and the independent performance of this task. In a multivariate model, the number of categories of assistive products used in the transfer to shower/bath was positively associated with the independent performance of this transfer (OR = 2.59, 95%CI = 1.48–4.53; p = 0.001). A multivariate analysis revealed that social functioning was significantly associated with the implementation of a bathroom adaptation; social risk was lower in participants who made an adaptation (OR = 0.76, 95%CI = 0.63–0.93; p = 0.006). Assistive products may play an important role in promoting independence in the bathroom. Assistive product needs should be addressed when planning community-based interventions aimed at improving daily life. Moreover, social functioning had a strong influence on the installation of bathroom adaptations, suggesting the importance of paying special attention to social factors in the home adaptations planning process.

Impact of assistive devices use on levels of depression in older adults: Evidence from China

“…Studies in the literature suggest that the effect of assistive devices on depression levels may be different across age (Zimmer & Chappell, 1994), gender (Frochen & Mehdizadeh, 2018), health status (Eek & Wressle, 2011), residential environment and social preferences (De‐Rosende‐Celeiro et al, 2019). Accordingly, controlling for the same variables as in the baseline regression analysis, including health status, 7 this study examined the heterogeneity of the effects of assistive devices use on depression levels in older adults in four dimensions: gender, age, urban/rural and socialisation 8 (see Table 3).…”

Educational technology for bathing/hygiene of elders at home: contributions to career knowledge

“…National and international researchers have identified that in home care for dependent elders, bathing is generally the activity of daily living that most causes problems in elders' and their caregivers'/ family members' lives (3)(4) . In Western culture, personal hygiene is one of the most sensitive and intimate subjects and is commonly carried out in privacy.…”

Geography matters to disability: regional disparity of bathing difficulty among older adults in China

“…Although physical impairment is often considered as the base of disability, it has long been acknowledged that ADL disability is caused by both a mixture of body limitations and environmental barriers (Verbrugge & Jette, 1994;World Health Organization, 2015). Environmental factors could play an important role in influencing the outcome of ADL tasks (De-Rosende-Celeiro et al, 2019;Iwarsson, 2005;Lim et al, 2020). In the World Report on Disability, special emphasis is placed on how environmental factors such as the built environment, social support, and policies can facilitate access or create barriers that affect participation, strengthening the need for existing disability studies to examine both the human body as well as its interactions with the environment (World Health Organization, 2011).…”

“…Studies specifically exploring the relationship between bathing disability and environmental factors are scarce, and most of the literature on bathing disability has been focused on the interventions inside the modern bathroom through the use of assistive technologies such as grab rails and bath transfer benches (Aminzadeh et al, 2001;De-Rosende-Celeiro et al, 2019;Gill et al, 2007;Naik & Gill, 2005). It is worth noting that a recent study by Liu et al (2020) reported that Chinese rural older adults may have up to four bathing methods (such as showering indoors, bathing indoors, use of public bathing facilities, or bathing outdoors), unlike their urban counterparts for whom bathroom facilities are usually modernized and standardized.…”