The Movement Analysis of Caregivers for Transferring of Disabled Person From Wheelchair to Car Seat

The aim of this study was to examine the influence of seat height on the movement of caregiver for transferring of a disabled person from wheelchair to car seat. Five female volunteers served as caregivers; two persons with disabilities and one health volunteer served as passive disabled person. To analyze the movement of a caregiver, we measured the activities of six muscles with surface electrodes and joint angle responses of the hip and knee with electrical goniometers. The caregivers performed transferring task at three different seat heights (400, 500 and 600mm from the floor) in order to investigate the effects of a car seat on transferring movement of a people with disability. From the experimental results, when caregivers were putting a disabled person down a seat, the hip and knee joint angles were decreased 31.9% and 24.7% in 600mm seat height than 400mm seat height, respectively. The integrated EMG activity of erector spinae was decreased 16.3% in 600mm seat height, compared with 500mm seat height. However, the integrated EMG activity of rectus femoris for lower limb in 600mm seat height was increased 33.3% than 500mm seat height.