ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY

Assistive Technology

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) commonly occurs in individuals during crucial years for the formation of vocational goals, resulting in low post-injury employment rates and higher costs to society. Individuals with SCI who are employed have improved quality of life. Assistive technology, often present at modest cost, can help individuals with SCI to compensate for functional limitations, overcome barriers to employability, enhance technical capacities and computer utilization, and improve ability to compete for gainful employment.

Assistive Technology and Spinal Cord Injury

Assistive Technology

Assistive technology devices are technological devices that enable individuals to maintain or improve their functional capabilities. An example of an assistive technology device that is common in institutions of higher learning is a desktop computer with voice recognition software. This assistive technology enables individuals with physical disabilities that prevent them from writing using pens or keyboards to produce legible texts by talking to their computers. Assistive technology services enable individuals with disabilities to select appropriate devices to use, be taught how to use them, and to maintain the equipment in satisfactory working order. Hence the term assistive technology refers both to the devices and services that comprise the technological solutions that enable individuals with disabilities to maintain or improve on their functional capabilities.

Currently, there are about 250,000 people living in the United States with a spinal cord injury (SCI) [8] and about 11,000 new injuries occur each year. SCI has a significant impact on an individual's functional, psychological and financial status. It most frequently occurs in males (4:1 as opposed to females) and nearly 60 between 16 and 30 years old (mean age of 31 years). This represents significant populations who are in a pivotal period in their life to finalize education, set career goals and enter into gainful employment. Tetraplegia involves nearly 50f all SCI and leads to functional limitations of upper extremity/hand function.

Spinal Cord

The spine is busy forming the vertebrae through a long nerve cord that extends from the base of the skull to the first lumbar vertebra. This cord is composed of white fibers that surround a central mass of gray, the opposite of what happens in the brain .

The anterior root nerve becomes a motor , i.e. a nerve ramifications for certain muscle contractions causing them, the posterior root becomes a sensory nerve and its branches spread by skin nerves are to be received impressions.

Social, psychological and physical aspects of rehabilitation of patients with complicated injuries of the spine and spinal cord

The problem of compensation and rehabilitation functions of the body is one of the important biological, psychological and social problems, the timely and correct decisions that affect the restoration of personal and social status of patients, particularly with complicated injuries of the spine and spinal cord.

Methodological tool in addressing social and psychological problems are the following: clinical-anamnestic, including the collection of objective social history by means of focused interviews, clinical neurological, biochemical and instrumental; clinical-psychological and socio-psychological (psychological counseling), printing, neurophysiological (EMG , RPG, EKG)-a follow-up ...