Wearable Grip Assistive Devices Design for the Elderly

The prevalence of degenerative diseases among older adults has been increasing, leading to a decline in their ability to perform daily activities. Frailty and dementia are associated, and hand strength training plays a crucial role in dementia prevention. Existing training products do not consider the hand size of older adults. Thus, this study focuses on developing a wearable hand strength training device specifically for older adults. The design incorporates universal design principles to enhance usability. Through subjective feedback obtained using the System Usability Scale (SUS) and interviews, the results show that the glove assistive device designed for older adults significantly improves comfort during training. Participants expressed a willingness to use this device for extended periods. Future designs should integrate diverse muscle strength training movements based on older adults' hand size, offering more options for independent home-based training, and indirectly reducing the occurrence of dementia.