Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Contributors
- Contributors
- Neural repair and rehabilitation: an introduction
- Section A Technology of neurorehabilitation
- Section A1 Outcomes measurement and diagnostic technology
- Section A2 Therapeutic technology
- 6 Cell transplantation therapy for Parkinson's disease
- 7 Conditions of task practice for individuals with neurologic impairments
- 8 Balance training
- 9 Functional electrical stimulation in neurorehabilitation
- 10 Environmental control and assistive devices
- 11 Wheelchair design and seating technology
- 12 Rehabilitation robotics, orthotics, and prosthetics
- 13 Virtual reality in neurorehabilitation
- 14 Communication devices
- Section B Symptom-specific neurorehabilitation
- Section B1 Sensory and motor dysfunctions
- Section B2 Vegetative and autonomic dysfunctions
- Section B3 Cognitive neurorehabilitation
- Section C Disease-specific neurorehabilitation systems
- Index
- Plate section
10 - Environmental control and assistive devices
from Section A2 - Therapeutic technology
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 August 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Preface
- Contributors
- Contributors
- Neural repair and rehabilitation: an introduction
- Section A Technology of neurorehabilitation
- Section A1 Outcomes measurement and diagnostic technology
- Section A2 Therapeutic technology
- 6 Cell transplantation therapy for Parkinson's disease
- 7 Conditions of task practice for individuals with neurologic impairments
- 8 Balance training
- 9 Functional electrical stimulation in neurorehabilitation
- 10 Environmental control and assistive devices
- 11 Wheelchair design and seating technology
- 12 Rehabilitation robotics, orthotics, and prosthetics
- 13 Virtual reality in neurorehabilitation
- 14 Communication devices
- Section B Symptom-specific neurorehabilitation
- Section B1 Sensory and motor dysfunctions
- Section B2 Vegetative and autonomic dysfunctions
- Section B3 Cognitive neurorehabilitation
- Section C Disease-specific neurorehabilitation systems
- Index
- Plate section
Summary
Following a stroke or traumatic brain injury (TBI), a person may have residual deficits even after completing a therapeutic program designed to regain function. The deficits may be physical, cognitive, and/or psychosocial. To overcome these deficits, people frequently use assistive technology (AT). The terms assistive technology, assistive device, and assistive technology device are used synonymously. AT device refers to “any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities” (Assistive Technology Act, 2004). Assistive devices include both low-technology items such as a long-handled shoehorn, and higher-technology devices such as computers with special interfaces. Assistive devices range from basic consumer products like a television remote, cordless phone, and microwave oven to more specialized devices such as walkers, assistive listening devices, or dressing sticks.
Environmental control devices provide another example of assistive devices. Environmental control devices can be set up to remotely operate electronic devices in the home (Mann, 1998), including lights, television, radio, phone, furnace, or air conditioner. Light timers, for example, are simple environmental control devices that turn lights on and off at pre-set times of day.
The AT increases a person's level of independence in performing tasks, and it may also have a positive impact on self-esteem. For example, after having a stroke, a woman experiences hemiplegia and becomes dependent on her husband for cutting food. This dependency may make her feel more like a child than a wife. To overcome the dependency, the woman works with an occupational therapist, who shows her how to use a rocker knife.
Keywords
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Textbook of Neural Repair and Rehabilitation , pp. 136 - 146Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2006