REHABILITATION HARNESS
Inclusive Design course, Bezalel, 2017
In collaboration with the Ministry of Health
The aim: fall prevention in elderly population`
THE PHYSIOTHERAPISTS DILEMMA
Encouraging balance exercises at home
CLINIC OBSERVATIONS
Observations and interviews of patients and therapists at the daily rehabilitation department at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital showed that balance exercises rely on both:
1. Therapist's constant supervision
2. A crane supported harness
LESS IS MORE
The harness seemed to have more potential for enabling people to exercise independently.
As the harness needs to be put on by people with limited motor skills the harness had to be adjusted to be simpler to wear.
THE CHALLENGE
Designing a harness for the lower body half that doesn't require standing on one foot (balance) or bringing a chair (potential risk) in order to wear it.
A STRUCTURE-BASED SOLUTION
A hybrid harness where the back part is hardened in the required shape and therefore easy to slip on with two feet firmly on the ground, and the front is a fabric that can be fastened in front with a large accessible buckle.
