Abstract
This study examines the inconveniences and problems of established safety-equipment by investigating the actual conditions for elderly people who use welfare services such as wheel chairs provided by care institutions. Suggestions will be made on how to improve the function and convenience of use to suit the needs of the elderly and how to create beautiful wheel chair safety-wear. Medical treatment helpers for the elderly were surveyed about the wearing conditions of wheel chair safety equipment. The present wheel chair safety equipment was shown to be aesthetically unpleasant; in addition, feelings of restriction and unpleasantness were noted (concerning the wearing of the equipment). In addition, there was no feeling of fixed stability. The wheel chair safety-wear that has been designed reflects the inconveniences and problems of current wheel chair safety equipment in material, design, and patterns along with the results of those surveys. Both objective and subjective tests compared the manufactured safety-wear with current equipment. According to the results, the new safety-wear is superior than existing ones.
