Assistive Device Use among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Profile of Canadians Using Hearing, Vision, and Mobility Devices in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

There is increasing recognition that using assistive devices can support healthy aging. Minimizing discomfort and loss of function and increasing independence can have a substantial impact physically, psychologically, and financially on persons with functional impairments and resulting activity limi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inCanadian journal on aging Vol. 40; no. 1; pp. 23 - 38
Main Authors Ishigami, Yoko, Jutai, Jeffrey, Kirkland, Susan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.03.2021
Subjects
Adaptive technology
Age
Age groups
Aging
Braille
Caregivers
Contingency tables
Data collection
Demography
Discomfort
Health problems
Hearing loss
Longitudinal studies
Low income groups
Mobility
Native North Americans
Older people
Orthopedic apparatus
Participation
Quality of life
Recording equipment
Social participation
Sociodemographics
Well being
Canada
aides à la mobilité
CLSA
mobility devices
assistive device use
appareils auditifs
aides visuelles
vieillissement
vision devices
hearing devices
older adults
ELCV
aging
utilisation d’aides techniques
personnes âgées
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:There is increasing recognition that using assistive devices can support healthy aging. Minimizing discomfort and loss of function and increasing independence can have a substantial impact physically, psychologically, and financially on persons with functional impairments and resulting activity limitations, as well as on caregivers and communities. However, it remains unclear who uses assistive devices and how device use can influence social participation. The current analysis used CLSA baseline data from 51,338 older adults between the ages of 45 and 85. Measures of socio-demographic, health, and social characteristics were analyzed by sex and age groups. Weighted cross-tabulations were used to report correlations between independent variables and assistive device use for hearing, vision, and mobility. We found that assistive device use was higher among those who were of older age, had less education, were widowed, had lower income, and had poorer health. Assistive devices were used differently according to sex and social participation, providing insight into assistive device use for the well-being of older adults and their families.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:0714-9808
1710-1107
DOI:10.1017/S0714980819000692