• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.487-497
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• 2014

Objective: This study aims to develop and evaluate a multi-purpose rollator, which may be used as a seat, as a traditional walker, or as a storage basket for elderly farmers. Background: The rollators on the market are not user-friendly designed and seen inconvenient for elderly farmers to use, although they are sold at considerably high price. Since they lack enough space to load stuffs and are not durable or stable enough, they do not seem to be suitable for elderly farmers to use in rural areas. Method: Two types of methods were used in this study. First, the survey consisted of 19 questions was conducted among elderly farmers in rural areas, after using the developed rollator, to evaluate the usability of the rollator developed in this study. Second, EMG experiment was conducted to compare the existing rollator and developed rollator quantitatively. Through this experiment, we tried to verify the differences of muscle responses, when using the traditional and the developed ones, which have their own brake system, in the ramp. Results: The developed rollator was highly evaluated in most of the questions in the usability survey, except for the 'Weight' category in which the opinions were divided into three different types (Worse: 31%, Similar: 30%, Better: 36%). The result of EMG experiment showed that the existing rollator (7.4%MVC) demands more muscle strength than the developed rollator (5.5%MVC) does. By statistically analyzing the results of upper limb and lower limb respectively, we found out that all the muscles except deltoid in upper limb showed statistically significant differences in muscle activity when using the existing and the developed rollator. However, there was no statistical difference in lower limb muscles. Conclusion: The developed rollator in this study has maximized the functionality of the brake system, the storage and the chair, which were pointed out as the weaknesses of existing rollators. Furthermore, the developed rollator is designed to be more user-friendly, safe, durable, and effective for elderly farmers to use in rural areas, where roads are rough and bumpy. Application: We expect that the emergency brake system developed in this study would be utilized for other convenience equipment, such as strollers and carts, and that it would be able to develop and produce more secure and reliable equipment in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.39-48
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• 2011

Korea is rapidly becoming an aging society. This study aims to examine the existing conditions of outdoor living environments to assist a healthy lifestyle for senior citizens and to determine the most influential factor in a senior-friendly outdoor space as well as to suggest improvements in existing conditions focused on the prospective senior population. This study relied on two methods: a descriptive method of researching publications and related scholastic writings and an empirical study that included a survey of present conditions and interviews with the prospective seniors and senior citizens in Daejeon. Conditions of outdoor living environments for seniors were found to be more than adequate in general. But some factors evaluated as low must be carefully tailored for seniors. First, the study showed that seniors evaluated as highest the 'use of a walkway' for a stroll and stayed outside for 1~2 hours at a time. Many vehicles parked in walkways were the most inconvenient factors in going for a walk. Second, the study showed that the evaluation of outdoor space was about average and 'sociality' was evaluated as the lowest. Third, the study showed that men evaluated lower than women 4 items: 'use and convenience of a wheelchair', 'night lighting', 'discrimination of signage at nighttime' and 'trees'. Respondents above the age of 66 are more uncomfortable with items such as 'slippery walking surface', 'stair handrail', 'discrimination of signage at nighttime' and 'direction of apartment complex' while respondents above the age of 80 are more uncomfortable with items of 'slippery walking surface', 'stair handrail' and 'discrimination of signage at nighttime'. Fourth, the evaluation by existing housing patterns was statistically significant in 20 of 22 evaluated items. This means that residents in apartment complex evaluated as high these items in general. In this study, existing outdoor living environments for the elderly did not display any immediately serious issues in the overall evaluation items. Assuming, however, that the aging population will quickly increase in the next ten years, items which are evaluated as low in descriptive statistics and items which give inconvenience to the elderly above the age of 80 in particular will need to be the first areas to be improved.