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Welfare equipment is an important tool for the elderly and disabled people, but there is also a risk that if it is used incorrectly, it could lead to serious accidents. Accidents that have occurred should be learned from to improve safety measures.
Elderly people can rent 13 types of welfare equipment, such as electric wheelchairs and nursing beds, through the public nursing care insurance program, and they generally pay 10% of the cost out of pocket. In fiscal 2023, there were about 3.8 million people who used such equipment, and that number is expected to rise. There is another program that provides public funds to disabled people to help them pay for welfare equipment.
The problem is that there have been many accidents involving the use of these devices.
In April last year in Fukuoka Prefecture, an electric wheelchair user in their 70s fell into an irrigation ditch and died. In November last year in Shizuoka Prefecture, an octogenarian died after becoming trapped in the frame of their nursing bed.
There have also been near misses. For example, while using an electric wheelchair, one person almost fell forward when they tried to pick up something that had fallen near their feet, and in another case the control switch for a reclining bed was accidentally activated and the user almost fell.
Welfare equipment, which is designed to help elderly and disabled people and reduce the burden on caregivers, should never cause death or injury.
The Consumer Affairs Agency and local governments have been collecting information on accidents involving welfare equipment, but some argue that the actual situation is not fully understood. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has begun centrally managing the collected information in a database.
After analyzing the data, it was found that there were over 400 accidents from February 2021 to September last year. Of these accidents, 31 were fatal.
The ministry has taken a step forward by beginning to grasp the situation. However, local governments provide information entirely on a voluntary basis. In order to get a full picture of accidents involving welfare equipment, mandatory reporting should perhaps be considered.
The collected data must be analyzed and used to prevent further harm. In many cases, it is unclear whether the accident was caused by the welfare equipment itself or by the way it was used. It is also important for manufacturers to use accident data to improve their equipment.
Nurses and counselors provide advice on how to use welfare equipment to elderly users. The ministry has said it will strengthen the training it provides to counselors about welfare equipment safety from next fiscal year.
Some elderly people have reduced physical function and judgment. Counselors must accurately grasp the individual’s condition and make use of this understanding in their advice.
Family members and people involved in nursing care should understand the cautionary points associated with welfare equipment and strive to ensure the safety of users such as by providing assistance as necessary.
