Based on the linked source; automatically prepared and checked against the original report.
Study design
Researchers used semi-structured interviews with nine manual wheelchair users aged 50 and older, including both power-assist users and non-users. The qualitative descriptive study analysed interview data through reflexive thematic analysis, rather than measuring clinical outcomes or testing a device.
What shaped preferences
The analysis identified four themes. Participants’ activity goals influenced device selection, while safety, performance and health considerations required trade-offs. They also valued trusted information and practical, experience-based validation when judging whether a power-assist device would suit their lives.
Access and policy implications
The study describes power-assist devices as attachments that may reduce physical strain and support community participation, but reports limited research on adoption among older adults. Participants, primarily active people with established peer connections, saw the devices as activity enablers, yet encountered fragmented information and policy systems. The authors identify user-centred design, stronger clinical training and equitable funding policies as areas needing attention. These findings describe perceptions and structural issues, not treatment recommendations or guarantees of benefit.
