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Wheelchair Servicing for Older Adults: Cross-Sectional Study
Anand Mhatre1, Abigail Dumm1, Muyun Zhao1
1Division of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Medicine, The Ohio State University, 406E, 453 W 10th Ave, Columbus, OH, 43210, United States, 1 6574640643.
JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technologies
|April 28, 2025
Summary
Frequent wheelchair part failures can be reduced by monitoring usage. Older adults are interested in new technology for wheelchair servicing to prevent breakdowns and improve mobility.
Area of Science:
- Rehabilitation Engineering
- Geriatric Medicine
- Assistive Technology
Background:
- Wheelchairs frequently fail within six months of use, with no current systems to monitor condition or predict servicing needs.
- This lack of monitoring can lead to critical part failures and impact user mobility.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the link between manual wheelchair usage and part failures in older adults.
- To assess user preferences for a novel wheelchair servicing technology.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving older manual wheelchair users at Instituto Nacional de Geriatría.
- Data collection included surveys on demographics, wheelchair use, failures, and technology preferences, alongside a week-long sensor-based measurement of road shocks.
Main Results:
- Seven of ten participants reported an average of 2.86 part failures.
- Road shocks correlated with brake and tire damage. Increased self-maintenance correlated with more part failures.
- Over 80% of participants expressed interest in a new technology to monitor wheelchair condition, willing to pay an average of $28.95.
Conclusions:
- Wheelchair inspection schedules should be data-driven and developed collaboratively by researchers, repair providers, and older adult users.
- Older adults show a clear interest in adopting new technologies for proactive wheelchair maintenance.
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