Shirogane Satoshi
Research Institute, National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities: 4-1 Namiki, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-8555, Japan.
J Phys Ther Sci. 2019 Feb;31(2):122-126. doi: 10.1589/jpts.31.122. Epub 2019 Feb 7.
[Purpose] For people with disabilities, public funding is the principal means by which assistive devices, such as wheelchairs and seating equipment, may be acquired. In the future, to make the system easier for beneficiaries, it is necessary to determine the actual utilization level in the current system. In this study, using statistical data provided by the Japanese government, we investigated the level of public expenditure on wheelchairs and postural support devices. [Methods] The number of devices (Wheelchairs, Powered Wheelchairs, Postural Support Devices, and Seating Furniture) provided each year from 1997 to 2016 was extracted and the annual trends were analyzed. [Results] In the last 20 years, the number of grants provided for wheelchairs has decreased, while the number of grants provided for seating equipment has increased. These changes may be due to the enactment of new legislation. [Conclusion] Based on the anticipated service life of various types of equipment, it is believed that approximately 970,000 assistive devices in the four categories are provided with public funding alone. As the number of people with disabilities increases, the use and importance of assistive devices is also expected to increase.
[目的] 对于残疾人而言，公共资金是获取轮椅和座椅设备等辅助器具的主要途径。未来，为了让该系统对受益人来说更加便捷，有必要确定当前系统中的实际使用水平。在本研究中，我们利用日本政府提供的统计数据，调查了轮椅和姿势支撑设备的公共支出水平。[方法] 提取了1997年至2016年每年提供的设备数量（轮椅、电动轮椅、姿势支撑设备和座椅家具），并分析了年度趋势。[结果] 在过去20年中，轮椅的资助数量有所减少，而座椅设备的资助数量有所增加。这些变化可能是由于新立法的颁布。[结论] 根据各类设备的预期使用寿命，据信仅公共资金就为这四类中的约97万台辅助器具提供了资助。随着残疾人数的增加，辅助器具的使用和重要性预计也会增加。
