Background: Access to prosthetic, orthotic and related assistive services remains uneven globally; this manuscript examines the systemic causes and rehabilitation consequences within the context of India. We frame service gaps as health-systems failures with measurable workforce, supply-chain, financing and data components. Methods: A narrative policy review was undertaken using targeted searches of peer-reviewed literature, government reports, professional body publications, and NGO datasets. Key themes were synthesized across governance, workforce, supply chain, financing, and monitoring domains to derive pragmatic policy interventions. (Authors should replace or update search dates and data sources as required prior to submission.) Findings/Observations: Four structural deficits drive undercoverage: (1) insufficient trained P&O workforce and uneven geographic distribution; (2) fragmented manufacturing and procurement with limited quality control; (3) inadequate public financing and poor insurance/benefits coverage for device services; and (4) absence of routine service and outcome surveillance. These deficits produce preventable functional dependency, increased caregiver burden, and inequitable accessâmost pronounced among rural, low-income, and disabled populations. Conclusions: Closing P&O service gaps requires integrated health-systems actions: workforce scale-up and credentialing, pooled procurement and quality standards, explicit public financing pathways, and routine service/outcome monitoring. Policy recommendations (summary): Five priority actions are proposed: national workforce strategy, accreditation and CE frameworks; standardized device procurement and quality assurance; finance and benefit design for assistive services; decentralized service hubs with tele-rehabilitation links; and a national monitoring dashboard tied to performance indicators.
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Prosthetics and Rehabilitation Robotics
Assistive Technology in Communication and Mobility
As information and services are becoming more and more decentralized and they are often available in the cloud, an increasing number of older adults are expected to use Internet-based services âhealth, education, finance and others. For this reason, it seems important to plan models and/or strategies to allow the older adult population to acquire and enhance digital competencies more easily. The goal of this research is to show a blended workshop based on a Learning Management System (LMS) as a supporting tool for older adultsâ digital literacy. This blended workshop was based on the adoption of an instructional model and on prior experiences of the groups of elderly that participated in the face-to-face workshops. This study involved 98 adults aged 60 and above, 72 Females (68.5 ± 6.9) and 26 Males (73.3 ± 7.4). 61 older adults participated in the face-to-face workshop (FFG) on digital literacy and 37 participated in the blended workshop (BLG). Digital literacy increased at the post-evaluation after the workshops but even more for the BLG. Likewise, in the validation of the blended workshop the results were positive regarding ease of use, perceived usefulness, attitude toward using and intention to use, which showed that older adults believe that it is useful to implement this type of supporting systems for developing their digital competencies. Hence, it is possible to conclude that older adults are capable of learning and acquiring digital literacy skills as long as they are strongly motivated or they know the functional benefits related to ICT.
Open access
Technology Use by Older Adults
Assistive Technology in Communication and Mobility