The cost of dependence of people with limited mobility.

Why Should One Care About Their Independence?

Let’s look at some statistics. Almost 30% of U.S. households have at least one person with a disability. The most vulnerable population is older adults. According to Harvard research, there is a 40% chance of having a disability after age 65. Mobility limitations are a major reason for losing independence. Specifically, more than 11 million people in the U.S. cannot get out of bed without assistance. They cannot perform basic activities of daily living on their own and must rely on family or professional caregivers.

The dependence of people with disabilities creates a significant burden on family and professional caregivers. According to a 2020 AARP report, 53 million Americans are unpaid caregivers. Research from MIT AgeLab shows that caregivers spend an average of 30.8 hours per week on direct care tasks. Not surprisingly, 69% of working caregivers report having to rearrange their work schedules, decrease their hours, or take unpaid leave to meet their caregiving responsibilities. Caregiver absenteeism costs the U.S. economy an estimated $25.2 billion in lost productivity.

The Growing Need for Independence

The problem tends to worsen due to the rapid increase in the elderly population globally. It is estimated that 7 out of 10 Americans aged 65 and older will eventually need long-term care services. By 2030, the demand for home health care is anticipated to grow, with more than 1 million new home care jobs needing to be filled.

Who is Interested in Solving These Problems?

Many parties can benefit from providing disabled individuals with more independence. This includes the individuals themselves, family caregivers, their employers, professional caretakers, and government agencies. For most, increased independence for people with disabilities can provide economic benefits and time savings.

However, the most significant meaning of independence lies with the individuals themselves. I know this from personal experience. My grandfather was paralyzed after a stroke. He always strived to regain his mobility and independence. It was embarrassing and painful for him to ask for assistance for simple tasks that were once easy.

Our research at my startup, ReviMo, confirmed that this is a common issue. We interviewed dozens of people with disabilities and their caregivers. The vast majority expressed a desire to regain or maintain their independence. It gives them the freedom to make life choices and creates a sense of normalcy. People want to move around their homes, eat, get dressed, and use the bathroom with dignity.

Statistics support this. 77 percent of adults aged 50 and older want to remain in their homes long-term—a number that has remained consistent for over a decade. Why has this serious and widespread problem not been solved yet, despite advancements in engineering, robotics, and AI?

What Solutions Are Currently Available?

Human Assistance

Human assistance is the most common way for people with disabilities to fulfill daily living activities. Family or professional caregivers assist with dressing, cooking, eating, toileting, bathing, and other tasks. Caregivers may live with a disabled individual or visit several times a day. To help someone move from bed to a wheelchair or commode chair, caregivers often lift them manually, risking injury to themselves. In fact, Certified Nursing Assistants—those typically involved in patient transfer—are highly susceptible to work-related injuries. They have the highest incidence of work-related injuries and illnesses compared to other occupations, including construction and manufacturing.

What is the Reason?

The alternative to the "heavy lifting" of people with disabilities is using mobility assistive devices such as Hoyer lifts or Sit-to-stand devices. These can help reduce the physical difficulty of transfers, but there are challenges. To use these devices, a caregiver must perform a long set of actions that can take up to 20 minutes per transfer. Although these devices make transfers easier, caregivers still need to manually reposition patients on beds or assist them in sitting, which can lead to back injuries.

What Do They Do?

As mentioned, there is a shortage of caregivers, and they are often overworked. Due to the constant lack of time, they may cut corners and manually lift individuals, even when it is recommended to use an assistive device. This results in injuries and days off, exacerbating the shortage of care staff.

What About People Living at Home?

The issues faced by private care workers and family caregivers are also present for individuals living at home. Most existing mobility devices are designed for hospital or long-term care settings. While they are reliable and simple, they are often large, heavy, and require special training to use. Many people cannot fit such devices in their homes and must rely solely on a caregiver’s physical strength.

So, What About Independence?

As you can see, individuals who cannot stand or move from bed to a wheelchair independently currently rely on human assistance and often dream of greater independence. Their only reliable option is to ask for help, enduring embarrassment and feeling "not normal." While some may never replace the human touch of a caregiver, why can’t they achieve a level of independence that allows them to feel more normal?

Innovative Solutions on the Horizon

Fortunately, startups and tech companies are actively addressing this growing demand. They are creating voice-controlled digital assistants (like Siri, Alexa, and Cortana) that can control lights, televisions, and home appliances. Companies like Labrador are developing assistive robots to help transfer food and other items to individuals with disabilities. Numerous apps remind people living alone to take their medication or notify them of upcoming doctor appointments. Startups like Sedmed and Smart Hygiene are creating smart assistive devices to simplify the toileting process for those with mobility challenges.

At ReviMo, we envision a product ecosystem that will allow individuals with severe mobility impairments to perform all major activities of daily living independently. Our first device will help people with mobility difficulties tackle the most challenging task—getting out of bed without assistance. We will then create an ecosystem of solutions to maximize their independence. Individuals with disabilities should not be excluded. Technology can and must be harnessed to help them regain their normal lives.

Please share your experiences with mobility issues. What other solutions for improving independence do you know?

In this post, we focus specifically on individuals with serious mobility impairments who rely on assistive devices for daily living. While other types of physical or mental disabilities are also important, we do not cover them here.