Tutorial seven: assisitve technology

This tutorial gave students an insight into assistive technology that is used within occupational therapy.

Assistive technology according to Cook and Hussey 2002 is any peice of equipment that aims to increase, maintain or improve functional capabilities.

A piece of equipment that was looked at within this tutorial was the ergo rest. The ergo rest is an assistive technology that is attatched to the desk to support the users arm and wrist and helps them to glide over the keyboard when typing. It is adjustable to suit the persons need and can be easily fitted to the desk and removed if needed to transport by just unscrewing the clamp. The approximate cost for an ergo rest is fifty dollars. It comes in a range of types and sizes to cater to the persons needs and so it can be attatched correctly to the desk.

An ergo rest can increase functional capability for example for a client with a Traumatic brain injury or has had a stroke. If they had weakness in their arm the ergo rest could support their arm whilst at the computer to reduce fatigue maximising the amount of time that could spend there whether they were using the computer for work or leisure