Contents of AssistData
In the following, you will find an introduction to the various elements of content in AssistData. All elements are interrelated. Thus, it is possible to find information on a specific type of product and subsequently find, e.g. guides, forum entries, and statements of principles on that same type of product
The majority of the contents of AssistData is available in English.
Product information
The product information in AssistData is delivered by the suppliers of the product and encompass, e.g. descriptions, specifications, and possibly information on price, testing, and CE-marking. There are photos of most products, and there is an increasing number of brochures, video clips, user manuals, QuickGuides, and catalogues with accessories and spare parts.
All the products in AssistData are classified based on the international standard for classification of assistive products, ISO 9999. In addition, the products are given an identification number (HMI-no), which for one thing is used for stock control in the assistive products depots of the local authorities. The Danish Authority of Social Services and Housing administer and validates the classification and the assignment of HMI-numbers. The Danish Authority of Social Services and Housing also maintains and develop AssistData’s product type specific templates for collection of data.
Based on the ISO 9999 definition of an assistive product, AssistData does not restrict its contents to products that can be granted according to a particular legislation or to products covered by a particular directive sphere.
The Danish Authority of Social Services and Housing has no responsibility for contents, origin, mistakes, and lacks or any form of damage that may follow the use of the information. The Danish Authority of Social Services and Housing has no authority to endorse products and does not evaluate the quality of the products.
Guides
Guides deal with a defined product area (e.g. rollators) or a certain area of activity (e.g. cleaning and assistive products for this purpose). In the guides, relevant types and variants of products are presented, and there are examples of when and for whom various assistive products may be relevant. You also get clues as to how the different assistive products are used most expediently.
The present 46 guides in AssistData are written by The Danish Authority of Social Services and Housing. Not all guides are in English.
Target Groups
Target group entries serve the purpose of giving inspiration to how different types of assistive product may benefit persons with different types of reduced functioning, e.g. for persons with dementia or persons with arthritis. Target group entries refer to relevant product types, guides and other relevant sources of information.
The present 15 target group entries in AssistData are written by The Danish Authority of Social Services and Housing. Not all target group entries are in English.
Special Catalogues
Special catalogues clarify product types that are or may be relevant in specific regulations. The legislative setting is explained and product types and scenarios are described.
The present 2 special catalogues in AssistData have been written by The Danish Authority of Social Services and Housing. They are currently not available in English.
Forum
In AssistData’s Forum, everybody with an interest in the field of assistive technology can share ideas and discuss related matters. Entries in Forum are tagged in the AssistData classification and as a member of the forum you can subscribe on email notifications when there are new entries in your field of interest.
The present 5.131 members of Forum are a mixture of professionals working with provision of assistive products, private individuals with interest in the field, and suppliers/manufacturers delivering product information to AssistData. AssistData’s Forum is in Danish.
Noticeboard
Noticeboard contains messages about AssistData and The Danish Authority of Social Services and Housing’s activities in the field of assistive technology. In the Danish version of AssistData, suppliers with product information in AssistData can also place notices on the noticeboard about, e.g. feature days, exhibitions etc.
Statements of Principles
Statements of Principles comprise an overview of statements concerning the type of assistive products that can be found in AssistData. The statements are issued by the national Appeals Board.
New statements of principles are included as they are issued from the national Appeals Board; discarded statements are removed from the overview. To make it apparent which product types the statements are concerning, each statement is tagged with AssistData’s product classification codes. The Danish Authority of Social Services and Housing cannot guarantee that the overview is comprehensive as the maintenance is handled manually, and as the selecting of the statements of principles is based on a professional assessment.
The overview of statements of principles currently contains 93 statements. All statements are in Danish.
Standards for Testing
Standards for Testing is an overview of European and international standards for testing assistive products. To make it apparent which product types the standards are covering, all standards are tagged using AssistData’s product classification codes. The Danish Authority of Social Services and Housing cannot guarantee that the overview is comprehensive as the maintenance is handled manually, and as the selecting of the standards for testing is based on a professional assessment.
Oversigten indeholder aktuelt 45 standarder.
Public Procurement Templates
The Danish Authority of Social Services and Housing’s templates for public procurement are tools for preparing product specifications in connection with public purchase of assistive products. The templates are worked out specifically for 27 product areas, all represented in AssistData. The templates will gradually be replaced by a new web tool.
App Search
AssistData’s App Search is a tool for searching for apps related to assistive products in App Store or Google Play. When searching for apps for iOS, Search Api from Apple is employed. When searching for apps for Android, the search function from 42matters.comis employed. The Danish Authority of Social Services and Housing enhances the tool with keywords related to assistive products.