Interviewer: Vio Ta & Sruthelaya “Laya” Mohan
Interviewee: Rama Subramanian
Relationship: Laya’s Mom
General Information: Rama has had basal thumb arthritis, only in her right thumb (which is her dominant hand). Although she currently does not have it now (at least not to the same extent of swelling and dysfunction as she did previously), the condition did affect her for a extended period of time.
Q1: Can you describe some of the daily tasks that are most challenging for you due to arthritis?
Rama works as a nurse, so one of the things she has to do on a regular basis is open IV bags. Although they would be typically pretty easy to rip open for an average person with a good amount of force, she recalls struggling with opening them.
Q2: Are there any tools or devices you currently use to assist with daily activities? How well do they work for you?
She has not had to use devices or mobility aids that are specific to arthritis, however she has often tried to find and implement simple workarounds for various tasks that might be difficult for her using household objects. (An example she gave was using scissors to cut the plastic on an IV bag, rather than tearing it!)
Q3 & 4: What type of support or feature would make a task easier or less painful for you (e.g., better grip, adjustable parts, less force required)? Do you find that certain movements or actions (like twisting, gripping, or lifting) are particularly painful?
Any support that allowed her apply less force was helpful! When she had arthritis, she felt a majority of her pain in the tips of her fingers, so any movement/action that applied a lot of force on her fingers was especially painful (in comparison to actions that engaged the whole hand). When her arthritis was especially bad, even smaller self-guided movements could be painful.
Q5: How would you prefer a device to be designed in terms of weight, size, or appearance?
She didn’t list any particular design notes or specifications, but in general, she would be able to benefit from something that is readily accessible and convenient to carry around (potentially something she could carry in the pockets of her scrubs while she’s working in the hospital)!