Sit-Stand Transfer Difficulty Among Indian Elderly: Design Gaps in Related Assistive Technologies

Sit-to-stand (STS) transfer is one of the most common difficulties faced by the elderly. The present paper aims at identifying the STS transfer difficulty among Indian elderly and also focuses on the need for an appropriate STS transfer aid. The study was undertaken in 2018 on 200 elderly respondents having difficulty in STS movement. Self-structured questionnaire and other scales, viz. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Timed Up and Go (TUG), were applied to assess the needs and problems of Indian elderly in STS tasks. The results show that among all the respondents a large number of females in the age group of 60–70 years had STS transfer difficulty. High body mass index (63.5%), osteoarthritis (69%), and vegetarian diet (58%) were noted among respondents. The impaired ability of sit-stand transfer affected their capacity in carrying out important activities of daily living. The elderly also faced trouble in STS movement particularly in western toilet (WT) and Indian toilets (IT). Walking stick users also found difficulty in STS tasks at many places. Thus, a need was identified to develop an assistive aid to help the elderly in STS transfer particularly in WT and IT, along with a modified walking stick, which could serve the dual purpose of mobility and STS transfer.