Clinical Geriatrics

An orthosis is an orthopedic appliance or apparatus used to support, align, prevent, or correct deformities, or to improve the function of movable parts of the body.1 (In contrast, an assistive device is more specifically a device like a walker, wheelchair, cane, or crutches used to compensate for a physical limitation.2) With improvements in trauma care, more victims of catastrophic events are surviving to live with disabilities.3 Life expectancy is increasing, so increasing numbers of older adults are facing their later years with disabling sequelae of disease or trauma. Along with this rise