Stair safety - A story from an AssiStep user

Tommy Jørdal is a man who had an active life, often going outside with his Giant Schnauzers in forests and the wilderness.

• “Having dogs is a lifestyle of its own, and makes it easier to get outside.”

A few years ago, however, he got osteoarthritis, wearing on the joints of his knees, and the walks have gotten shorter. But the steps up the stairs have gotten easier thanks to the AssiStep.

Before, Tommy would hesitate to walk down the stairs from the second floor. He didn’t feel he had something to hold, and therefore felt unsafe in his own home. It was his home assistant who recommended him to apply for the AssiStep. It is an aid consisting of a handle you push in front of yourself when climbing or walking down the stairs, and which locks in place if you lose balance.

“It’s so ingenious and simple, and makes it so I can keep living at home for longer,” says Tommy. “I’m very impressed by the students who developed this idea.”

Apart from stair safety, the user friendliness in particular has been important to Halvor Wold and the rest of the product developers at Assitech. “Here we have no electronics or buttons to have to deal with. The assist device is mechanical and has simple functionality,” says Halvor.

The AssiStep is produced in Trondheim, and to date, around 100 people have had the aid installed.

• “We worked with the issue of stair falling and stair safety at university. The existing solution was installing a lift, and that makes people passive, so their walking function is diminished.” Thus they conceived of the idea for the AssiStep.

Those who have a need for it can apply for an AssiStep through a NAV Assistive Technology Center, so cost doesn’t have to be prohibitive. On Ladesletta health center, they have a tester model. Anyone who wishes to, can go visit there and try out if this could be something for them.