title: Hand supports to assist toilet use among the elderly.
abstract: Improving the toilet environment holds promises for increasing the quality of life for elderly and disabled persons. This is one of the goals of the Friendly Rest Room (FRR) project. The study described in this article explored the preference and use of supports in the toilet environment during the entire toilet ritual. An adjustable test frame was built with a toilet and three types of supports. Fourteen subjects were asked which positions they favoured for each support. After using all three supports, they were asked which support they found most comfortable. In general, the preferred positions depended on personal preferences more than on dimensions of the body. It was concluded that there is a preference for vertical supports for sitting down and standing up. During toilet use the side supports were equally appreciated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Ergonomics and Design, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, Landbergstraat 15, 2628 CE Delft, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Dries
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dekker
authors.forename: Sonja N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Buzink
authors.forename: Johan F M
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Molenbroek
authors.forename: Renate
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Bruin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007374:Interior Design and Furnishings; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012656:Self-Help Devices; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D014038:Toilet Facilities