Comparisons of cane handle designs for use by elders with arthritic hands

In the United States, the population over 65 years old has been increasing rapidly in this century, There are many impairments and chronic diseases associated with aging. Fifty-five percent of elderly persons in the United States have arthritis. Arthritis can affect both upper and lower extremities. Hands impacted by arthritis may have pain, swelling, contractures and deformities. Lower extremities affected by arthritis may cause difficulty in ambulation and balance. One of the most widely used assistive devices for walking is the cane. While canes can support up to 25% of the users' body weight, the user's hand receives much pressure from the cane handle. The design of the cane handle is important for persons with arthritis, the material, size, shape and texture can impact on user comfort. The purpose of this study was to evaluate five cane handles designed specifically for users with arthritic hands and gain an understanding of the factors in the design of cane handles that contribute to user satisfaction for persons with painful arthritis in their hands. Three of the cane handles were developed by the University at Buffalo Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Aging (RERC-Aging). The other two were commercially available. All study participants were selected from the RERC-Aging Consumer Assessment's study sample pool which includes more than 500 participants over 60 years of age with various disabilities and who require assistive devices or home modifications. The present study selected 12 participants with arthritis in their hands who used canes as walking or balance aids at the time of the study. The study participants were asked to use each of the five cane handles and the cane they owned and used, to perform five typical cane tasks. After each trial, a questionnaire with six categories of evaluation criteria was used to gather participants' responses for each cane handle. Results indicate the Ortho-Ease, a commercially available cane handle received the overall highest scores. The aesthetics, functional and physical criteria were identified as predictive factors for user satisfaction of cane handles.