Design of One-Leg Cane Handle Using AHP-TOPSIS Comparative Study to Improve The Mobility of The Elderly

Abstract

The number of elderly people in Indonesia has increased significantly. Indonesia has an elderly population of 29 million or 11% of the total population, and around 39% of the population or 11.5 million live with disabilities. The elderly who experience disabilities caused by physical and cognitive changes can decrease their quality of life. Disability in the elderly is caused by the weakening of the lower extremity muscles, resulting in decreased balance and walking stability. Appropriate walking aids for the elderly are crucial in improving balance and stability to reduce the risk of falling. The most commonly used mobility aid for the elderly is a cane, but the use by the elderly is mostly not appropriately instructed, where up to 70% use the wrong cane handle and use it incorrectly. As a result of incorrect use of canes and inadequate instructions, 30-50% of the elderly stop using the cane after receiving it. So, to keep the elderly using the cane, this study tries to design a cane handle with a comparative study using the AHP-TOPSIS Method. The purpose of designing a cane handle is to mantain the balance and stability of the elderly for mobility to improve quality of life and keep the elderly using a cane to reduce the risk of falling. The output obtained is a visualization of the concept & prototype of the improved cane handle design. The improved cane handle is simulated using Autodesk Inventor software with a loading of 150 N. The maximum stress analysis result is 25.31 Mpa, the maximum displacement analysis is 0.2273 mm, and the safety factor value is 7.54 ul.