Evaluating changes in slip-resistance performance of select IceFX® winter boots in real-world use over a winter season.

Winter boots with specialized outsoles (composite footwear) may be able to reduce the risk of falls on ice by 78%. However, a pilot study has also found that the slip resistance of this composite footwear can diminish relatively quickly with simulated use. The objective of this study was to evaluate the change in slip resistance of popular composite footwear (with IceFX outsoles) over a winter season of real-world use.

Detecting Patient Position Using Bed-Reaction Forces for Pressure Injury Prevention and Management.

A key best practice to prevent and treat pressure injuries (PIs) is to ensure at-risk individuals are repositioned regularly. Our team designed a non-contact position detection system that predicts an individual's position in bed using data from load cells under the bed legs. The system was originally designed to predict the individual's position as left-side lying, right-side lying, or supine.

Estimating pedestrian walking speed at street crossings using the YOLOv4 and deep SORT algorithms: Proof of principle.

There is evidence that existing standards for signal timing do not provide enough time for many pedestrians to safely cross intersections. Yet, current methods for studying this problem rely on inefficient manual observations. The objective of this work was to determine if the YOLOv4 and Deep SORT computer vision algorithms have the potential to be incorporated into automated measurement systems to measure and compare pedestrian walking speeds at one-stage and two-stage street crossings captured in birds-eye-view video.

Musical instrument classifier for early childhood percussion instruments.

While the musical instrument classification task is well-studied, there remains a gap in identifying non-pitched percussion instruments which have greater overlaps in frequency bands and variation in sound quality and play style than pitched instruments. In this paper, we present a musical instrument classifier for detecting tambourines, maracas and castanets, instruments that are often used in early childhood music education. We generated a dataset with diverse instruments (e.

The effect of tread patterns on slip resistance of footwear outsoles based on composite materials in icy conditions.

Introduction: Falls on icy surfaces are the leading cause of injuries for outdoor workers. Footwear outsole material and geometrical design parameters are the most significant factors affecting slips-and-falls. Recently, composite materials have been incorporated into outsoles to improve traction, yet the best design parameters are not fully understood.

Facilitators and barriers to pressure injury prevention, management and education: Perspectives from healthcare professionals-A qualitative study.

This study aims to (1) characterize healthcare professionals' (HCPs') experiences related to the prevention and management of pressure injuries (PIs) and (2) explore the educational needs of individuals with a past or current history of PIs and their caregivers from the perspective of HCPs. This is a qualitative descriptive study. HCPs (n = 18) were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide.

Investigation of the Kinematic Upper-Limb Movement Assessment (KUMA): A Pilot Study.

Upper limb movement disorders are common after stroke and can severely impact activities of daily living. Available clinical measures of these disorders are subjective and may lack the sensitivity needed to track a patient's progress and to compare different therapies. Kinematic analyses can provide clinicians with more objective measures for evaluating the effects of rehabilitation.

Virtual Accessible Bilingual Conference Planning: The Parks Accessibility Conference.

Virtual events have become more popular recently, and while these events have the potential to be inclusive to a broader range of attendees, there is limited information available on how to plan and deliver a virtual, accessible, and bilingual event. The objective of this paper is to share how our team planned and delivered a virtual conference that was fully bilingual and accessible to individuals with disabilities by incorporating closed captions, sign language interpretation, language interpretation (audio), regularly scheduled breaks, and a multi-sensory experience. We describe our approaches to planning the conference, such as including individuals with disabilities in decision-making, selecting virtual conference platforms, captioners, and interpreters, and how we incorporated a multi-sensory experience.

Measuring Repositioning in Home Care for Pressure Injury Prevention and Management.

Despite the widespread agreement on the need for the regular repositioning of at-risk individuals for pressure injury prevention and management, adherence to repositioning schedules remains poor in the clinical environment. The situation in the home environment is likely even worse. Our team has developed a non-contact system that can determine an individual's position in bed (left-side lying, supine, or right-side lying) using data from a set of inexpensive load cells placed under the bed.

A Survey of the Challenges Faced by Individuals with Disabilities and Unpaid Caregivers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected many individuals. In particular, it is likely that individuals with disabilities and unpaid caregivers were disproportionately affected, however, its exact impact is largely unknown. The primary objective of this work was to identify challenges faced by individuals with disabilities and unpaid caregivers.

Development and Evaluation of a Slip Detection Algorithm for Walking on Level and Inclined Ice Surfaces.

Slip-resistant footwear can prevent fall-related injuries on icy surfaces. Winter footwear slip resistance can be measured by the Maximum Achievable Angle (MAA) test, which measures the steepest ice-covered incline that participants can walk up and down without experiencing a slip. However, the MAA test requires the use of a human observer to detect slips, which increases the variability of the test.

Evacuation solutions for individuals with functional limitations in the built environment: a scoping review protocol.

Background: Whether due to aging, disability, injury, or other circumstances, an increasing number of Canadians experience functional limitations that reduce their ability to participate in activities of daily life. While the built environment has become increasingly accessible, existing Canadian evacuation guidelines lack comprehensive strategies for evacuating individuals with functional limitations from buildings during emergencies. To inform guideline revisions, a map of existing solutions for evacuating such individuals is required.

The effect of wear on slip-resistance of winter footwear with composite outsoles: A pilot study.

Falls on icy surfaces are among the top causes of injuries for workers exposed to the outdoor environment. Our recent field study showed that a new generation of winter footwear incorporating composite outsoles was able to reduce slips and falls on icy surfaces by 68% and 78%, respectively. The widespread adoption of this type of footwear may lead to substantial reductions in pain, suffering and costs of fall-related injuries.

A Scoping Review on Minimum Foot Clearance Measurement: Sensing Modalities.

Falls are a major public health issue and tripping is the most common self-reported cause of outdoor falls. Minimum foot clearance (MFC) is a key parameter for identifying the probability of tripping. Optical motion capture systems are commonly used to measure MFC values; however, there is a need to identify alternative modalities that are better suited to collecting data in real-world settings.

A Scoping Review on Minimum Foot Clearance: An Exploration of Level-Ground Clearance in Individuals with Abnormal Gait.

Falls are a major health concern, with one in three adults over the age of 65 falling each year. A key gait parameter that is indicative of tripping is minimum foot clearance (MFC), which occurs during the mid-swing phase of gait. This is the second of a two-part scoping review on MFC literature.

Evaluating a wearable biofeedback device for reducing end-range sagittal lumbar spine flexion among home caregivers.

Caregivers who work in the home environment are at risk of back injury due to the awkward postures they have to adopt while providing care. Real-time biofeedback provided by a recently developed wearable device (PostureCoach) may be able to reduce this risk. The effectiveness of a two-day training intervention (including PostureCoach and an educational video) was evaluated for its ability to decrease the amount of time spent in end-range spine flexion.

Tough transitions: Family caregiver experiences with a pediatric long-term ventilation discharge pathway.

Objectives: Discharging a child home on long-term ventilation (LTV) via tracheostomy is complex and involves multiple healthcare providers across healthcare sectors. To date, there has been a paucity of data with respect to the experiences of families transitioning a child home on LTV. Our objective was to explore the perceptions of family caregivers (FCs) who have completed a newly developed LTV discharge pathway as they transitioned home.

Quantifying Mobility Scooter Performance in Winter Environments.

Objectives: To quantify mobility scooter performance when traversing snow, ice, and concrete in cold temperatures and to explore possible performance improvements with scooter winter tires.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: Hospital-based research institute.

Development of an Automated Minimum Foot Clearance Measurement System: Proof of Principle.

Over half of older adult falls are caused by tripping. Many of these trips are likely due to obstacles present on walkways that put older adults or other individuals with low foot clearance at risk. Yet, Minimum Foot Clearance (MFC) values have not been measured in real-world settings and existing methods make it difficult to do so.

Effect of using of a lower-extremity exoskeleton on disability of people with multiple sclerosis.

Background: Although ongoing exercise is known to reduce disability in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), participation in lower-extremity exercise programs can be limited by their existing mobility impairments. Lower-extremity exoskeletons could address this problem by facilitating home and community locomotion and enhancing exercise capability but little data is available on the potential of this technology for reducing disability of people with MS.

Methods: We evaluated the Keeogo™ exoskeleton for people with MS using an open-label randomised cross-over design.

Evaluation of Winter Footwear: Comparison of Test Methods to Determine Footwear Slip Resistance on Ice Surfaces.

The use of slip-resistant winter footwear is crucial for the prevention of slips and falls on ice and snow. The main objective of this paper is to evaluate a mechanical testing method to determine footwear slip resistance on wet and dry ice surfaces and to compare it with the human-centred test method introduced by researchers at KITE (Knowledge, Innovation, Talent, Everywhere)-Toronto Rehabilitation Institute-University Health Network. Phase 1 of this study assessed the repeatability and reproducibility of the mechanical method by evaluating ten different occupational winter boots using two SATRA Slip resistance testers (STM 603, SATRA Technology Centre, Kettering, UK).

Reducing fall risk for home care workers with slip resistant winter footwear.

Falls on icy surfaces are the leading cause of occupational injuries for workers exposed to outdoor winter conditions. Slip resistant footwear has been shown to reduce the risk of falls for indoor workers but until recently, there was no accepted standard for evaluating the slip resistance of winter footwear on icy surfaces. Our team recently developed a lab-based testing protocol for measuring footwear slip resistance.

Bathing frail seniors at home: Home care providers' approaches.

Background: Home care providers assisting with seniors' personal care often experience high rates of musculoskeletal disorders, particularly affecting the lower back. Assisting with bathing is consistently identified as one of their most physically demanding activities.

Objective: To identify and describe care providers' procedures for assisting a frail senior to bathe that are likely to contribute most to the development of back injuries.

Reducing lumbar spine flexion using real-time biofeedback during patient handling tasks.

Background: Patient handling activities require caregivers to adopt postures that increase the risk of back injury. Training programs relying primarily on didactic methods have been shown to be ineffective at reducing this risk. The use of real-time biofeedback has potential as an alternative training method.