Military caregiving webinar on assistive technologies slated for Dec. 12

COLLEGE STATION — A “What You Need to Know About Assistive Technology but Didn’t Know Who to Ask” webinar for service providers and family caregivers for military personnel will be presented starting at 10 a.m. CST Dec. 12.

To join the free webinar, presented by the eXtension Military Families Learning Network through an agreement with the U.S. Department of Defense, go to https://learn.extension.org/events/1297.

The presenter will be Dr. Marcia J. Scherer, president of the Institute for Matching Person and Technology, professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and project director for the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University.

Scherer is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine, and the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America.

“From wheelchairs to hearing aids, memory supports to speech devices, assistive technology, or AT, solutions have long been a staple for supporting individuals with disabilities, especially wounded service members,” said Rachel Brauner Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program coordinator — Military Program.

Brauner, who helped coordinate the webinar through AgriLife Extension’s Military Program, said there can be “barriers to successful implementation of an assistive technology solution” and the webinar will address both technologies and their potential limitations.

Scherer noted that there are currently almost 40,000 different assistive technology products on the market.

“In spite of all the advances in AT, the average non-use rate has remained at about 30 percent for more than 20 years,” she said. “This is costly in terms of wasted products for military families, as well as the wounded warrior’s functioning and satisfaction.”

Scherer said “successful integration” is the key.

“When warriors are provided with the support that best matches their needs and priorities but doesn’t interfere too much with their daily routine, this helps them realize benefit from use, and their functioning, confidence and sense of control tend to increase.”

She said research has shown that the most important way to reduce this non-use or abandonment rate is to know how to find the available assistive technology resources, involve the service member in selecting the technology, and to use a systematic process for assessing both the warrior’s needs and preferences.

“The most effective support may be personal assistance, strategies or technologies and, most commonly, a combination of these,” Scherer said. “This webinar will present ways to be informed of the variety of available AT and the use of a systematic process to match the service member with the most appropriate solution for his or her enhanced functioning and well-being.”

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