[Prescription for aids and using aids after geriatric rehabilitation--do we prescribe the proper aids?]

Aids for mobility and for activities of daily living (ADL) are frequently necessary in geriatric patients, but they are costly. We were interested to find out whether prescribed aids were really used by elderly patients. 177 patients were visited at home 6-8 weeks following discharge from a geriatric hospital and the use of their aids was evaluated. Mobility aids had been delivered with few exceptions; they actually were in frequent use. Aids for ADL were not delivered in 8% of cases, and 10% of those delivered had never been used. Hand-rails had been delivered but not been fixed at times. The reasons for these unexpected findings are discussed.