The experiences of using an anti-collision power wheelchair for three long-term care home residents with mild cognitive impairment.

PURPOSE: Presented are three case analyses of long-term care home residents with cognitive impairment who tested an anti-collision power wheelchair. We discuss technology design and research implications for this population.

METHOD: Case studies involved 371  h of participant observation and 7  h of open-ended interview with residents (n = 3), family members (n = 3) and clinical staff (n = 11). Thematic analysis generated themes related to technological, psychological and social aspects of residents' inclination and disinclination towards power mobility use.

RESULTS

Themes examined the discordance between others' and residents' reports of anti-collision power wheelchair use; a facet of response bias; unanticipated implications for independence and dependence; and implications of device design for self-presentation.

CONCLUSIONS

Technology alone is insufficient to help residents to fully benefit from the autonomy that a wheelchair intervention can provide: close attention is required to the social and organisational factors of institutional life. For technology to be acceptable, the design must meet the functional and aesthetic needs of users. Considerations in the design of future power wheelchairs for residents with cognitive impairment include capabilities to drive on uneven surfaces, effort-reducing driving modes, improved user interface usability, and acceptable driving speed, size and appearance.