Help Getting Up Stairs for People with Limited Mobility
As the number of residents in long term care facilities decreases, the need for personal assistance and equipment has increased for our country's disabled and aging populations. According to Older Americans 2010: Key Indicators of Well Being (Older Americans 2010), the fifth in a series of reports produced by the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging Related Statistics (Forum) that describe the overall status of the U.S. population age 65 and over, the need for personal assistance has decreased in the last 10 years as more people require equipment only in order to maintain their independence:
"The age adjusted proportion of people age 65 and over who had difficulty with one or more ADLs (Activities of Daily Living) and who did not receive personal assistance or use special equipment with these activities decreased from 42 percent to 34 percent. More people are using equipment only