Study on How Fatigue Affects Gait of Older Adult Rolling Walker Users

Abstract

AbstractOlder adults with limited mobility are prescribed rolling walkers to prevent falls, but incorrect usage may cause accidents. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of fatigue on gait, including rolling walker usage, of older adult rolling walker users. In our approach, the usage is modelled by distance from rolling walker and gait velocity. The normal gait area is determined by the 5th and 95th percentile of these data. The deviance rate for every 10 s is calculated by the ratio of data exceeding the normal gait area. Three older adult rolling walker users participated our data collection. They walked from the entrance of their room in a nursing home to the canteen (outbound) and back (inbound). Outbound route data was used to determine area of normal gait while inbound route data for analysis. Through video analysis, 16 abnormal walking behaviors were noted and then compared to deviance rate that exceeded threshold value of 0.2. Five behaviors related to fatigue and another 11 abnormal behaviors were successfully detected by the deviance rate. It also detected eight slight changes in gait. These changes were difficult to detect through observation. Detecting and alerting these changes may be useful for caregivers to supervise older adults who may be at risk of falling.KeywordsOlder adultsRolling walkerFatigueGait