Abstract
The increased life expectancy of the elderly may require substantial redesigning of environments in order to accommodate age related body changes. One of the most important aspects allowing the elderly to function independently is the ability to reach for items comfortably during daily activities. Designing for an independent elder requires knowledge of reach measurements that determines the optimal design of working/living environments. This paper provides reach capability design data of elderly males and females between 65 and 89 years of age. Results show that direct and indirect reach indicators decrease substantially above the age of 80. The elderly participating in this study were compared with younger cohorts, showing significantly lower reach capabilities. This indicates the necessity of considering anthropometric data, such as reach, to design for the elderly. The need is particularly dire for those above 80 years of age.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.