This isn't just anecdote. In a national survey of adults using assistive technology, 29.3% of all devices obtained had been abandoned, with abandonment peaking in the first year of use and again after about five years (Phillips & Zhao, Assistive Technology, 1993). The same research identified the factors most strongly tied to abandonment, and they're worth memorizing before any purchase:
- Poor device performance — it didn't work well enough in real life.
- The user's own opinion wasn't considered in choosing it.
- The device was too easily obtained — bought quickly, without matching it to real needs.
- The user's needs changed, and the device couldn't keep up.
Notice what these have in common: almost none of them are about the technology being "bad." They're about a mismatch between the device and the person's real life.
Those general patterns show up in very concrete ways with tremor devices:
- Charging and battery hassle. A device with a short battery life — some wrist wearables report only 2 to 3 hours — that dies mid-afternoon, or that you simply forget to charge, quietly falls out of the routine.
- It won't stay put or isn't comfortable. A device that shifts out of place, feels bulky, or can't be worn for as long as you need it becomes something you reach for less and less.
- Session-based effort. A device used in scheduled sessions rather than worn continuously asks more of the user each day, and that friction adds up.
- Expectations didn't match reality. No tremor device eliminates tremor completely. Someone expecting a total fix is more likely to give up than someone expecting meaningful help with specific tasks.
- It never fit the actual task. A device that helps in theory but not with your priority — eating, writing, holding a cup — ends up unused, exactly the mismatch the research flags.
The flip side of that research is a practical checklist. Each item targets one of the documented causes of abandonment:
- Match it to your real tasks, and test it on them. Before committing, try the device on the things that matter most to you — eating, drinking, writing — not on a generic demo. Use any trial or return period for exactly this.
- Weigh the maintenance burden honestly. A device you have to charge is one more thing to remember; if charging is likely to be a barrier, a battery-free option removes that failure point entirely.
- Check the fit and all-day comfort. Whatever you'll wear for hours has to be comfortable for hours — and stay in place.
- Involve an occupational therapist. Because "the user's opinion wasn't considered" is a top predictor of abandonment, getting an OT to match a device to your hand function and routine is one of the strongest safeguards there is.
- Set realistic expectations. Aim for meaningful help with specific tasks, not the disappearance of your tremor. Devices that meet a realistic goal get kept.
Before buying any tremor device, run it through the same short test: Does it help with my priority tasks when I actually try it? Can I realistically maintain it day to day? Is it comfortable enough to wear as long as I need? Did someone who understands my hand function help me choose it? And am I expecting meaningful help rather than a cure? A device that clears those questions is far more likely to earn a permanent place in your daily routine than a spot in the junk drawer.