Evaluation released by the China Consumers Association: Some product designs are not "suitable for the elderly" and are related to the experience and design of elderly care assistive devices and appliances
Last week, the China Consumers Association released a report on the consumption experience of elderly care assistive devices. The report shows that some elderly care assistive devices currently sold in the market have poor quality, high premiums, and functional shortcomings that urgently need to be improved.
The consumer experience project for elderly care accessories organized by the China Consumers Association this time selected a total of 50 samples for evaluation, including 9 types of products: assistive driving, electric wheelchairs, climbing machines, transfer machines, mobile toilets, turning care devices, toilet boosters, toilet armrests, and shower chairs.
The testing agency for the consumption experience project of elderly care assistive devices, also known as the evaluation engineer of the China Home Appliance Research Institute, told reporters that for elderly consumers, ensuring the safety of device use is the most basic requirement, especially for assistive walking devices.
The evaluation engineer introduced that the 6 batches of auxiliary driving samples for this evaluation, priced from 299 yuan to 2180 yuan, were all purchased from e-commerce platforms and basically covered the best-selling major brand products in the market. The reporter saw at the testing agency that during the evaluation process, 12 recruited experience personnel imitated the use of samples in different application scenarios according to the guidance and requirements of the evaluation engineer, and then scored the samples based on their actual satisfaction with the experience. Satisfaction is divided into 5 levels, with a minimum score of 1 and a maximum score of 5. In terms of security evaluation, it includes two aspects: stability and appearance safety.
There are many categories of assistive walking equipment, among which the application scenarios of assistive driving are the most extensive, so safety is also more concerned by elderly consumers. But when the reporter was filming at the evaluation agency, the evaluation had not yet officially started, and an accident occurred with the sample labeled as number 3.
The evaluation engineer believes that improper selection of materials for key parts is the main reason for the overturning of sample 3 during normal use.
The evaluation engineer introduced that the pursuit of lightweight and high flexibility by production enterprises is another important factor that leads to poor stability of some driving assistance products and affects their safety performance.
Liu Mengxin, an evaluation engineer at the China Household Electrical Appliances Research Institute: Products with relatively light net weight may still move when the car is braked. Older people may experience sitting empty.
The evaluation engineer explained that some elderly people choose assisted driving because their walking function, balance function, and reaction function are not very good. Therefore, from a safety perspective, the design of assisted driving must be concise. For example, some samples have brake cables running outside, which can easily cause tripping.
It is understood that among the 6 batches of auxiliary driving samples evaluated this time, none of them received a full score of 5 in terms of safety performance stability. The highest average score is 4.6, while sample 3 and another lighter weight sample only have 3 points.
In order to provide more accurate, authoritative, and scientific guidance for the actual purchasing behavior of elderly consumers, the China Consumers Association has highlighted the "Key Points for Product Selection" in the experience report, with some key points regarding assisted driving as shown in the figure.
The safety risks of unstable electric wheelchairs are more prominent
At present, electric wheelchairs are relatively "fresh" products for elderly consumers, and there is no exact reference standard when choosing, which has led to many hidden dangers in the subsequent use process. During the testing process, the reporter also found that compared to assisted driving, the safety risk of unstable electric wheelchairs is more prominent.
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Some product designs are not "age friendly"
The reporter learned that in response to the problems found in the evaluation of elderly assistive devices, the China Consumers Association has taken some corresponding measures.
Zhang Dezhi, Director of the Consumer Supervision Department of the China Consumers Association: The China Consumers Association attaches great importance to the data obtained and the problems discovered in this project. On the one hand, we have reported to the relevant administrative departments of the country that we hope to strengthen legislation and carry out corresponding mandatory testing, which can greatly improve quality, variety, and brand, and serve more consumers.
