Wheeled Mobility in Everyday Life

The project will examine how mobility performance in real life tasks and environments is impacted by the use of specific types of wheeled mobility devices (wheeled walker, manual wheelchair, power wheelchair/scooter). Specifically, the project will: 1) randomly recruit persons who were prescribed a mobility aid within the preceding 1 year and currently use the mobility aid, 2) define key mobility tasks within a public environment, 3) measure mobility performance of subjects as they perform the mobility tasks in each of the four devices, and 4) synthesize and disseminate the results. Study results will be used to establish baseline performance data for researchers and clinicians and to identify design improvements for wheelchairs used by community dwelling elders. All study participants will be required to complete study related questionnaires about their family environment and familiarity with the various types of mobility aids. In addition, physical abilities will be measured at the start of the study, including measures of arm and leg strength, and the ability to walk and push a wheelchair. This will take about 30 minutes. A total of 150 subjects will be recruited among Veterans prescribed mobility aids in the preceding 3-12 months identified through administrative data sources. The mobility aids being studied are all standard types of mobility aids used by people with limited mobility (e.g., wheeled walker, manual wheelchair, power wheelchair/scooter). Analyses will proceed in a stepwise fashion. The first step will be to examine the primary study question relating device type to the dependent variable, with velocity being the primary outcome. The next step in the analysis will be to determine if there is an interaction between medical condition, mobility devices, and the dependent variable. Finally, exploratory analyses will be carried out to examine the relationship between baseline measures of physical function and mobility performance with each of the devices. Study related risks are minimal.