Design of an After-Fall-Assistive Device for Elderly Patients by Finite Element Methods

Abstract

Falling on the ground can cause serious injuries such as bruises, broken bones, head injuries, etc. Annually, 684,000 individuals die globally from falling to the ground. There are more than 37 million fall injuries that require medical care each year. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention anticipates seven fall deaths every hour by 2030. In Saudi Arabia, falls are the sixth major cause of death and the seventh major cause of living with a disability. Furthermore, falling to the ground becomes a risk factor with age, obesity, and presence of balance affecting diseases due to the fact that individuals have difficulty getting up after a fall, and the majority of them stay on the ground for more than an hour. As a result, the risk of multiple injuries, dehydration, pressure ulcers, rhabdomyolysis, hypothermia, and pneumonia increases. This study aims to design and analyze a device that can assist individuals, especially seniors, at risk to rise up after a fall to the ground with no external help from others. The design of the device was modeled using SolidWorks 2017 (Dassault Systems, Waltham, MA, USA). Also, finite element analysis (FEA) was performed to study von Mises stresses and total deformation on the model. FEA results showed that the device could withstand lifting an overweight individual from the ground without reaching the maximum failure stress of a conventional material such as aluminum.