Geriatrics Archive

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Image Recognition Technology to Expand Abilities of Microsoft's Digital Camera Device

Microsoft has partnered with Oxford Metrics Group (Oxford, UK), a company specializing in computer vision applications, to further develop Microsoft's ViconRevue (formerly SenseCam) digital camera-like gadget. The device continuously snaps a picture every 30 seconds, hence it might be worn around the neck by patients with memory problems (i.e. Alzheimer's, s/p hypoxic/ischemic encephalopathy). The device is thought to help people refresh themselves on the activities of the past day. With Oxford Metrics Group's software built-in, the ViconRevue should be able to perform some pretty nifty tricks by recognizing objects and faces in its field of view.

Press release: IP LICENSE AGREEMENT WITH MICROSOFT...

Flashback: Digital Cameras for Dementia Patients

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Taizo Exercise Robot to Aid Elderly With Leading Routines

The rapidly aging population of Japan already has more than 40,000 people older than one hundred years. So the Japanese turned themselves into a frantic mode to develop all kinds of robots to help the elderly as the age issue only intensifies. An example is Taizo, a robot built by AIST, General Robotix and Ibaraki Prefectural Health Plaza, that leads in and demonstrates to grandmas how to do exercise routines. The units are going to be priced at around $8,000, but perhaps a cheaper and sufficient solution would be to watch YouTube videos of the Taizo. Even a real prerecorded human being may suffice in demonstrating exercises. But that wouldn't utilize robotic technology, would it now?

More from Pink Tentacle...

(hat tip: Engadget)

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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Smart Cane For Blind Gives Local Awareness With Help of RFID


A group of engineering students from Central Michigan University is working on an electronic cane for blind people that would provide contextual information on the environment around the user. The team envisions a future where RFID chips are implanted into street signs, store fronts, and similar locations, and the cane reads those and feeds the info back to the user. The device also features an ultrasound sensor to help detect objects ahead of the cane tip.

More about the Smart Cane from Central Michigan University:

The Smart Cane, which has an ultrasonic sensor mounted on it, is paired with a messenger-style bag that is worn across the shoulder. A miniature navigational system inside the bag and the Smart Cane work together to detect RFID tags located on mini flags sticking out of the ground.

A speaker located on the bag strap voices alerts when an obstacle is detected, and also informs the user which direction to move. For those who are visually impaired and cannot hear, the students created a glove that uses sensors to vibrate different fingertips providing an alert or direction.

The students recently set up flags on CMU's campus and tested the system with volunteers who found it to be effective, especially with navigation. Their recommendations along with data collected by the student team will be passed along to future student design teams with the goal that a fully functional system can be developed and implemented at CMU.

Press release: Smart Cane gives a new direction...

(hat tip: Crave)

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Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Apple iPhone to Replace Your Hearing Aids?

d342ds2324.jpgA new application for the Apple iPhone has been designed to aid people with poor hearing, featuring abilities that not even a hearing aid can boast of. Essentially a volume booster, the app amplifies everything that is being heard by the microphone and allows the user to set which frequencies to boost and which to filter. Additionally, the application continuously keeps a recorded buffer of what it hears, allowing you to quickly replay the last five to thirty seconds of a misheard conversation.

Link @ iTunes: SoundAMP

More from TechCrunch...

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Thursday, July 2, 2009

WellAWARE Passive At Home Sensors Help Monitor Independent Elderly

Elderly folks tend to prefer to live in their own homes as the years pass, but the potential for accidents to happen leads many to seek nursing homes or to live with family. Dana Blankenhorn at ZDNet Healthcare is reporting on technology from WellAWARE Systems (Charlottesville, Virginia) that monitors people in their homes with sensors in beds, bath tubs, and generally throughout the living space.

Dana Blankenhorn reports:

At this writing, 60 facilities have the WellAWARE system, company officials told ZDNet.

WellAWARE is offering a system of sensors that track a patient’s movement throughout their residence, comparing their activities to a baseline of normality, and alert caregivers to changes.

Noce explained how this worked recently with an 81 year old client aging-in-place in Hastings, NE:

"There was an alert that the woman had not slept for 26 hours. The woman was evasive, but we were able to be proactive, and the nurse was able to visit, knowing she hadn’t slept.

The woman finally admitted she’d been hallucinating. The nurse asked about medication, the woman said she had some, and the nurse found that one of the side effects of one medicine was hallucination. She was able to fix the situation in a day.

The patient didn’t have to do anything. The care giver was then able to provide an interaction that got correction.

More at ZDNet Healthcare...

Link: WellAWARE Systems...

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Monday, June 29, 2009

ecg@home Personal ECG Monitoring Helps Clinicians Stay On Top of Patient Status


HealthFrontier out of Branchburg, New Jersey teamed up with et medical devices SpA, a Vignate, Italy firm, to create a simple remote wireless ECG monitoring device. The ecg@home features two thumb electrodes (i.e. the standard I lead), and a wireless transmission of the data out to a central server via Bluetooth, USB, or a cell phone network. In order for the device to work, the company says the patient needs to rub his fingers with the K2 solution for better contact

Features from the product page:

* Monitor the patient over the long-term with a substantially decreased impact on quality of life.
* Catch events that only appear irregularly, with the secondary benefit that patients can now feel at ease that they will be able to capture their worrisome cardiac events
* Keep care of the patient in-house, and it allow them perform their own interpretation and analysis of the ECG strips if they so desire, or use an in-house technician if one is available.
* If the physician does not desire to interpret the readings, a third-party service can send the analyzed scans minutes after the reading is taken.
* Monitor the effects of changes in medication
* Access all the patient’s historical ECG readings with the click of a mouse through the RHMS, eliminating the need to search through a library of paper-chart printouts.

healthb.jpg
* Take ECG readings with far more speed than the 12-lead option
* Through the RHSM, readings can be quickly interpreted either on-site or by a third party scanning service, and returned to the originating facility in minutes.
* Determine the impact and effectiveness of the existing therapy regimen, and adjust regimen.
* Use the analyzed reading in deciding whether the patient requires emergency care.
* This solution offers tremendous saving potential by enabling the decision-maker keep patients out of the hospital when their conditions are non-critical, and to provide prompt medical attention when serious medical conditions are present.

Product page: ecg@home

More from The Medical Quack...

Press release: HealthFrontier Introduces New Innovation in Web-Based Remote Health Monitoring Technology

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Wednesday, June 17, 2009

OXO Applies Firm's Design Skills to Medical Device Development


Patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other debilitative hand conditions, are occasionally prescribed medications that have to be injected, either intramuscularly or intravenously. Because their joints can suffer from severe pain or movement restrictions, it is often difficult for patients to do their own injections. UCB, the Belgian pharmaceutical firm, must have noticed the big market for OXO rubber gripped kitchen tools among patients with arthritis, and worked together with OXO to develop a new syringe. Having just received FDA approval for Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) to treat rheumatoid arthritis, UCB is now making the drug available in the new prefilled syringes.

Features of the new syringe:

  • Easy to grip wide flange (finger grips) - soft, non-slip grip allows patients to hold the syringe steady using various grip positions.
  • Easy to remove needle cover - rounded finger loop for easy removal of needle cover; flared needle cap designed to reduce needle pricks due to recoil.
  • Easy to push syringe plunger - large and soft thumb pad for patients to push the plunger.
  • Easy to read syringe barrel - magnified barrel helps ensure patients receive entire dose as they can see the medicine inside and know when they have injected all of it.
  • Easy to grip elliptical barrel - elliptical barrel for patients to grip and helps prevent slippage during patient handling.
  • Easy to open packaging - the cover with a rounded corner uses Velcro® for easy opening and resealing; large, easy-to-read directions and clear visuals instruct patients how to use the pack and administer/inject Cimzia®; and lastly, the plastic housing inside with a large finger recess allows patients to easily remove the syringe.
  • Press release: Partnership unites UCB with consumer product innovator OXO

    Product page...

    (hat tip: Core77)

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    Thursday, June 4, 2009

    Boomer Mobility Aid Wins Prize in Design Contest


    At this year's Australian International Design Awards, Daniel Molloy from Monash University won the "Highly Commended" accolade for the Boomer, a conceptual idea of a walker for the elderly. Featuring many design improvements over current models, the device is particularly interesting in its stair climbing assist feature.

    Here's from Daniel Molloy explaining the various design details of the Boomer:

    With a strong emphasis on safety, Boomer aims to reduce the risk of falls and stair-related falls, which has been identified as a major public health issue amoung the elderly. The design aims to move away from the utalitarian forms and hospital aesthetic of much of today's elderly products. The key innovation of the design is the stair-ready function, which allows the mobility aid to transform from a walker into a device that enables the user to maneuver up and down stairs safely.


    The boomer mobility aid combines user friendly features in a new and modern form. It features easy height adjustment to accommodate varying users, an easy to use push button release which allows the walker to fold up for not only storage and transportation, but also to transorm the walker into a device which enables the user to manuever up and down stairs. It features a padded seat and backrest for the users comfort whilst resting, the padded backrest also contains a zipper and fold out nylon storage bag, ideal for both personal belongings and shopping. Unlike other walkers that have a metal basket under the seat, The boomer mobility aid utilizes the space in the backrest to neatly conseal the storage compartment.

    One of the key innovations of this design is the stair ready function, which enables the elderly user to maneuver up and down stairs safely and help to reduce the risk of stair related falls. A push button release allows the mobility aid to fold up, It then uses an electric linear actuator which creates a stable support at the base of the rear wheels, this provides the user with stability and support whilst using stairs. The person can balance and use the mobility aid as a frame to support their weight, while taking one step at a time.

    Another key feature of the boomer mobility aid is its sleek organic form, which is made possible through the use of manufactuing processes and techniques appropriate to the design. The structural components will use a manufacturing process called Gas-assisted injection molding. This process lends itself well to the complex forms of the main body and front legs of the mobility aid. A higher stiffness-to- weight ratio can be obtained with gas assisted molding than with other processes, resulting in a lightweight product, a key consideration in the design. The gas-assist process also enables large hollowed structures which has meant that the stair ready components, brake mechanisms and cables are all housed within the form, creating a more attractive aesthetic.

    Link @ Australian International Design Awards: Boomer - mobility aid for the elderly

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    Monday, April 27, 2009

    ROBULAB May Be 21 Century's Guide and Assist Dog


    ROBOSOFT, a French robotics company, and SRI International, an American non-profit R&D firm, joined forces to create a package that can be used as a base for at-home robotic assist devices. Using ROBOSOFT'S three wheeled robuLAB10 and SRI's Karto navigation software, the system can navigate within a person's home and follow the patient by staying close to him or her.

    From the press release:

    Developed for domestic environments, the robuLAB10 robot, equipped with a voice interface allowing access to internet services, is a proof-of-concept demonstration. The next three-years phase will focus on developing a turnkey solution with relevant technology suppliers and partners, with the intention of large scale deployment of such eldercare robots.

    ROBOSOFT worked with SRI to integrate SRI’s Karto navigation software on the robuBOX™, ROBOSOFT’s robotic programming system allows to develop interfaces for making daily tasks transparent to users. The robuBOX, with Karto navigation software, is a complete and flexible set of service robotics programming solutions.

    ROBOSOFT and SRI began their technical collaboration in 2008 with the goal of developing innovative commercial offerings in the growing home-centric service robot market.

    Press release: ROBOSOFT and SRI International Demonstrate Innovative Eldercare Service Robot at Robobusiness 2009...

    Product brochure: robuLab10...

    Karto software page: Karto Robotics...

    Flashbacks: World's First Robotised Tele-Ultrasound Exam via Satellite...

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    Friday, April 17, 2009

    Gait Monitor Watches for Decline in Walking as Folks Age


    A collaboration between University of Virginia engineers, clinicians, and the school's Institute of Aging, has teamed up with AFrame Digital, a company building mobile sensors and networks, to create a large scale real-time gait monitoring system. Using wrist worn sensors, the goal of the project is to keep an eye on geriatric patients, looking for signs of declining walking ability. To make the sensors truly effective with a high level of predictability, the first major hurdle will be to test the system and find which signs coming from the sensors point toward future problems that may warrant a prescription for a walking stick.

    John Lach, an associate professor in the Charles L. Brown Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering [University of Virginia], has been researching and developing wireless body sensors for the past five years. In this application, the sensors can be worn like a wristwatch. Using parameters determined in a gait laboratory directed by D. Casey Kerrigan, a professor in the School of Medicine's Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Lach has developed sensors that can quantitatively measure the walking patterns that are likely to lead to falls.

    Lach's sensors, now about the size of a digital watch face, can measure and transmit data on a wide range of human motion, including linear acceleration, or how fast patients move in a straight path, and rotational rate, which together provide six degrees of freedom motion capture. The sensors are now in their third generation of development and, thanks to the living laboratory model, they will now evolve with faster prototyping cycles that use continuous feedback from the patients.

    Currently, monitoring gait-related problems typically requires patients to visit a health care facility, where they walk on a pressure sensitive treadmill and are monitored by video cameras. While accurate, this approach is costly and limited in its application.

    AFrame's nonintrusive wireless monitoring and alerting system is designed to enhance the independence and security of residents and patients as they move about in a long-term care facility during their activities of daily living, so that they experience greater peace of mind and confidence for a fuller and more active lifestyle. Data from sensors is securely analyzed in the system to provide a private and nonintrusive indication of status to caregivers.

    Press release: U.Va.'s Institute on Aging Teams University Researchers with Health Care Technology Company to Develop Novel Sensor Devices for the Elderly ...

    AFrame solutions and services page...

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    Wednesday, April 15, 2009

    The Future of Legs Is Here, Well, in Detroit

    Engineers from Honda are in Detroit this week for the Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress, where they will show off and demonstrate the latest advancements of their walking assist and bodyweight support devices. We have previously covered the development of these, now you can see them in action, on a limited basis.

    We couldn't make it to New York to try them out, but the folks at WIRED were able to and captured their experiences on video.

    These leg supports are designed to provide assistance in walking and climbing for patients with a variety of neuromuscular disorders. Honda has not stated a specific time frame of when these devices will come to market, or what that market will be. However, this technology seems to offer a great promise for patients who need mobility assistance.

    Honda : Bodweight Support Device

    WIRED : Honda's Robolegs Help People Walk

    Flashback : Honda Makes Public New Robotic Walking Assist Device; Walking Assistant From Honda; Honda Walking Assist Device Update: Feasibility Testing; Mystery Robotic Assist Walking Device

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    Monday, April 6, 2009

    Oticon Introduces New Hearing Products


    Oticon, out Somerset, New Jersey, last week released a new set of hearing products, including two new lines of hearing aids and a system to wirelessly listen to music, television, or speak over the phone with much ease. The ConnectLine wireless system features Bluetooth connectivity to send digital audio straight to the hearing aids, be it coming from a television or a phone plugged into the transmitter box.

    ConnectLine is the only system that connects wirelessly and seamlessly to TV and landline phones enabling effortless transitions between functions with just the push of a button on the hearing instruments’ companion device, Streamer. The new “plug and play” ConnectLine TV Adaptor and ConnectLine Phone Adaptor complement and optimize the wireless capabilities of Oticon’s premium RISE-based Dual and Epoq hearing solutions.

    The small and attractive ConnectLine TV Adaptor connects to the audio output of any TV. It has a range of up to 30 feet and runs on its own power supply. Users enjoy high quality audio streaming binaurally through their hearing instruments – listening at their own preferred volume and without the latency delay experienced with off-the-shelf Bluetooth transmitters. There is no need to recharge the ConnectLine TV Adaptor and there are no additional gadgets or loop installations required. After an initial pairing with the Streamer device, the ConnectLine connects automatically whenever the Streamer is activated.

    ConnectLine Phone Adaptor turns any landline phone into a cordless Bluetooth phone. The ConnectLine Phone Adaptor can be especially beneficial for seniors who want to continue using their current landline phone. Users simply press the phone button on the Streamer to pick-up or end the call. The ConnectLine Phone Adaptor does not interfere with the ability of other household members to use the landline phone as usual. Users can connect to a landline or cell phone with the same Streamer. The Streamer pairs with up to eight devices.

    The Mini Power BTE significantly expands fitting potential for moderately to severely hearing impaired people with a range of small, robust, 13 Battery solutions. Available across the company’s Epoq, Vigo and Hit product families. The compact mini power solutions feature FM compatibility, long battery life and an array of features and price points.

    The Epoq XW, W and V Mini Power BTE Power solutions feature advanced wireless capabilities and extended 10 kHz bandwidth for enhanced performance in the most difficult listening situations. The state-of-the-art Spatial Sound compression system helps to maintain the naturally occurring interaural difference between the signals arriving at the two ears, a key to a user’s ability to localize sound.

    With the addition of the Bluetooth Streamer, Epoq Power solutions connect wirelessly to Bluetooth-enabled communication and entertainment devices including landline and cell phones, televisions, MP3 players, personal computers, laptops and radios. Sound is streamed wirelessly from the Bluetooth devices to the user’s hearing devices.

    This two-ear advantage is further enhanced with the new ConnectLine™ Phone Adapter that makes any landline phone Bluetooth-compatible. The ConnectLine™ TV Adapter allows users to understand television at a volume that works for them anywhere in the room without disturbing other viewers.

    Vigo Pro and Vigo Mini Power BTEs deliver an unsurpassed combination of style, features and performance in a mid-priced hearing solution. The Hit Pro and Hit Mini Power BTEs offer cost-conscious users who require higher amplification straightforward solutions that combine design, size, performance, handling capabilities and value.

    The new Mini Power BTEs are fully compatible with a range of FM solutions including the sleek Amigo R12 FM receiver, the Oticon FM 9 adapter and the slim DAI adapter AP 900.

    The compact mini power solutions feature a 13 battery for longer battery life and comfort without compromising the hearing solution’s sleek, aesthetic appeal.

    The Hit family’s two product lines, Hit and Hit Pro, round off Oticon’s portfolio of modern, discreet and great sounding hearing solutions based on the company’s industry-leading RISE platform. With a selection of features normally found in far more expensive hearing devices, Hit and Hit Pro are solid choices for new and experienced users looking for high quality entry-level hearing solutions.

    Hit and Hit Pro give hearing care professionals reliable and affordable hearing solutions with all of the model choices needed to fit mild to severe-to-profound hearing losses up to 105 dB HL. The sophisticated RISE platform gives Hit and Hit Pro the highest bandwidth (8kHz) of any entry-level hearing device, for unmatched sound quality as well as such highly desired features as outcome based automatic decision making, adaptive directionality, noise management and dynamic feedback cancellation.

    Both Hit and Hit Pro offer the largest selection of styles of any entry level hearing instrument – from tiny RITE and CIC to Power BTE hearing aids with size 312 and 13 battery options. Open fittings are available as RITE style or as Corda 2 thintube adaptors. Available in ten vibrant colors for BTE and RITE, Hit is available beginning April 1.

    Press release...

    Oticon company page...

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    Thursday, April 2, 2009

    Starkey S Series Hearing Aids with Drive Architecture Processing


    Starkey Laboratories (Eden Prairie, MN) is introducing a new series of hearing aids that promise higher fidelity and smart behavior in different audio situations. Featuring parallel multi-threading processors, the system can calculate specialized algorithms to a greater degree of precision, leading to better sound quality.

    PureWave Feedback Eliminator, delivering broader bandwidth, faster processing and intelligent artifact elimination to ensure patients get the best possible performance in every listening environment. S Series models offer up to 25dB of added stable gain for the highest broadband gain margin in the industry.
    - Acoustic Scene Analyzer (ASA) is Starkey’s newest integrated system for managing noise and preserving speech recognition that instantly classifies incoming signals based on unique acoustic characteristics. ASA seamlessly selects and implements the most appropriate algorithms individually or collectively, providing the best possible acoustic response at every moment in time. This results in the highest level of patient comfort and
    clarity in noise, while emphasizing speech preservation.
    - InVision Directionality is designed to perform best in highly complex backgrounds of noise. The industry-leading system boasts the highest DI scores and lowest operational noise floor, helping patients significantly increase their speech understanding in noise.
    - AudioScape is Starkey’s new acoustic pattern recognition system that uses patented real-time environment detection and classification to adapt to any listening environment by seamlessly adjusting to a patient’s preferred settings. A channel-specific signal-tonoise ratio calculation ensures that speech is always given the priority.
    - Automatic Telephone Solutions (ATS) automatically detects telephone usage and adjusts to the optimal acoustic frequency response for telephone listening.
    - T2 (touch-tone) allows your patients to control their hearing aids using any cell or touchtone phone, avoiding the need to carry additional hardware. T2 discreetly and instantly classifies the touch-tone signal and automatically adjusts.

    When fit open, S Series has the widest fitting range and usable high-frequency bandwidth of any open fit instrument in its class. The line also includes the new S Series AP (Absolute Power), a patientproven RIC that offers between 60 and 71dB of peak gain, making it the best performing and most powerful RIC on the market. Even patients with severe hearing loss can enjoy the discreet style, design and comfort of a RIC without sacrificing power and performance.

    Press release: Starkey Introduces the Next Generation of Hearing Aids: S Series with Drive Architecture

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    The VIEW Image Magnifier Offers Portable Ergonomics


    Vision Technology out of St. Louis, Missouri has released a new image magnifier system for people with poor vision. Designed to be portable like a laptop, the unit folds into a flat package for easy transport.

    From the product page:

    Amazing from all sides, the ultrathin 15-inch LED backlit monitor with 1680 x 1050 monitor resolution is integrated with no glare glass optics giving you vivid image quality and breathtaking clarity not found anywhere else. The VIEW features 2x -65x magnification giving one of the largest zoom ranges found on any portable video magnifier in the marketplace. The advanced precision glass optics provide a crisp image with absolutely no glare, and works together with monitor features such as 5 ms response time and 16 million color hues, creating a crisp and clear image. The VIEW sets the standard for autofocus technology on portable video magnifiers. It packs a high-performance camera into its precision engineered design. Morning newspapaers, magazines, bank statements and anything else placed on the reading tray will autofocus instantly reducing eye fatigue and save time.

    Supported with two adjustable arms, the monitor seems to float over the reading tray, and can be positioned up, down, backward, foward or tilted. The over-sized XY reading table is encased with durable ABS plastic. It features an oversized paper stop to square up even the largest of books, magazines and newspapers.

    Vision Technology press release...

    Product page: The View...

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    Wednesday, April 1, 2009

    When Phones Can't Have Buttons Large Enough

    Stephen Myers, a Ph. D student in Biomedical Engineering at the University of Florida, has invented a nifty RFID based system to help the elderly and people with bad hands dial the telephone without having to punch any keys. By swiping flashcards with pictures of contacts at the RFID receiver, the system downloads the proper phone number and dials it automatically.

    Watch it here for yourself:

    More about the system from Stephen Myers...

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    Tuesday, March 17, 2009

    CogniFit Online Tool Servers as Personal Brain Exercise Coach


    CogniFit, a company out of Yoqneam Ilit, Israel, has created an online training system to improve the cognitive abilities of the elderly and others suffering from mental decline. By first assessing person's abilities through a number of mental tasks, the system personalizes an exercise routine to help improve areas that most need it.

    Here's a video explaining the CogniFit Personal Coach:

    CogniFit demo and sample exercises...

    Product page: CogniFit Personal Coach

    (hat tip: Israel21C)

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    Thursday, March 5, 2009

    Smart Pillbox Helps to Outsource Drug Taking

    pillboxpill.jpgVaica Medical out of Tel Aviv, Israel has come up with a programmable pill box for elderly folks and those taking a complicated regiments. The unit, with a grid of boxes for a week and four times a day, plugs into the phone line and is programmed by a provider to call the patient and notify which compartment to take the pills from. The only trick is to get a pharmacist or family member to load up the the pills into the boxes.

    From the product page:

    The SimpleMed ™ system will remind the user both visually and audibly to take his/her medication at the right time.

    SimpleMed ™, when integrated with a monitoring center regularly sends "I am alive" signals in response to the opening and closure of the correct compartment, and is capable of sending alert signals in response to recognized deviations such as missed doses, wrong time doses etc.

    SimpleMed ™ also features a panic button with a 2 way communication system. All events are logged and sent periodically to the monitoring center and caregivers.

    Here's a company video demonstrating the device's features:

    Product page: SimpleMed

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    Wednesday, February 18, 2009

    New Idea for a Pill Dispenser


    Yanko Design blog features an attractive new concept for a pill dispenser. With his device, the designer Steven Grech wants to improve patient compliance, by making medication taking a more regular and precise occurrence. Having multiple containers within each pill bottle, the system helps to take meds at proper times during the day. If not, the system would send an SMS message to the patient with a reminder.

    From Yanko Design:

    The device records when medication is taken, and shows the user the correct intervals programmed by the pharmacist. If not activated at the correct time, the device sends an alert to the users phone via text, or "SMS." Once in the grip of the user, it opens easily by turning round, revealing the opening corresponding with the time of day. This way of opening is helpful to the elderly, as it eliminates hard-to-open caps. Each days replacement tube is labeled clearly with text and with Braille numbering.


    More at Yanko Design...

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    Thursday, February 12, 2009

    Bathroom Scale for Diabetic Feet Features Magnifiers with Illumination

    Amy Tenderich over at Diabetes Mine just reviewed an unusual personal scale, called Insight Foot Care Scale, that serves also as a tool to check the bottoms of feet for erythema and signs of inflammation. Especially for older folks with diabetes, the bathroom scale with built-in mirrors sounds like a good idea, since it eliminates the need to twist one's feet to see what's going on the plantar surface.

    Read Amy's review at Diabetes Mine...

    Product page: Insight Foot Care Scale

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    More from Geriatrics:

    » Off Mental Track and Off the Road? LoJack Is Ready to Help (February 10, 2009)

    » Geolocation Used to Notice Telltale Signs of Dementia (February 4, 2009)

    » Would You Trust Your Patients to Twendy-One? (December 19, 2008)

    » Alzheimer's Patients May Benefit from CPAP Treatment (December 3, 2008)

    » LegLifter Helps You Get In Bed (November 20, 2008)

    » Smarter Pill Bottle Caps (November 19, 2008)

    » Intel Health Guide Undergoing Trials (November 10, 2008)

    » Honda Makes Public New Robotic Walking Assist Device (November 7, 2008)

    » HAL, The One That Walks, Goes on Sale (October 9, 2008)

    » Personal Airbags for Accidental Falls (September 29, 2008)

    » A Wheelchair With Ears and Brain (September 19, 2008)

    » Hoana Gets EU OK For LifeBed System (August 29, 2008)

    » Find Loved Ones When They Can't Find Themselves (July 17, 2008)

    » Be a Beta for Zuri (July 16, 2008)

    » Epocrates Rx Now on iPhone (July 14, 2008)

    » At-Home Monitoring Solution from Intel (July 11, 2008)

    » MEMENTO Memory LifeBook Concept (May 12, 2008)

    » GeeWhiz Condom Catheter: It's Medicare Approved - Diapers Are Not! (April 15, 2008)

    » MagneTrace: Drug Compliance Necklace (March 6, 2008)

    » Digital Audio Used for Treatment of Tinnitus (March 5, 2008)

    » onePAC Prescription Packaging (March 5, 2008)

    » Nursing Home Positioning System Helps Patients to Get Around (March 3, 2008)

    » Light-based Hospital GPS (February 11, 2008)

    » Hand-held Computers Prod Older Adults To Exercise More (February 6, 2008)

    » Carpentry For The Weak (January 30, 2008)

    » Infrared Helmet to Stave Off Alzheimer's (January 25, 2008)

    » Gardener's Exoskeleton (January 16, 2008)

    » Home HealthPoint Telemetry from 4HomeMedia (January 10, 2008)

    » Digital Cameras for Dementia Patients (December 12, 2007)

    » Make Your Daughter Your Big Brother (December 3, 2007)

    » FDA OK's EverOn™ Monitor (November 20, 2007)

    » The Blind Can See, The Deaf Can Hear... (November 9, 2007)

    » Sleuth™ Wireless Electrocardiogram Monitoring System (October 18, 2007)

    » Robosuit for Your Grandma (October 10, 2007)

    » Less Bumping, More Guiding (September 26, 2007)

    » Novartis Receives EU's Approval for Alzheimer's Patch (September 25, 2007)

    » South Korea's ETRI Develops Fall Sensor for Seniors (or Winos) (July 10, 2007)

    » Scout™ DS, a Noninvasive Diabetes Screen Previewed at ADA Meeting (June 22, 2007)

    » Doc, My Fridge Thinks I Have Dementia (June 19, 2007)

    » Emergency Evacuation Chair, Bed (May 18, 2007)

    » Web-Linked Pill Box to Hit Stores Soon! (April 18, 2007)

    » Alzheimer's-Friendly Virtual Home (April 12, 2007)

    » Domo, an Assistive Robot (April 11, 2007)

    » Androids to Lift Grandma (March 30, 2007)

    » New Interactive Television To Assist Patients And Elderly (March 27, 2007)

    » Electronic Knee Pad Offers Symptomatic Relief from Osteoarthritis (March 14, 2007)

    » LifeWave™ BST (Bed Sore Treatment) (March 14, 2007)

    » Keep an Eye on Bedridden Family Members (March 13, 2007)

    » senSAVE® to Provide Real Time Wearable ECG (March 1, 2007)

    » Anti-Alzheimer's Patch? (January 25, 2007)

    » Dental Films and Osteoporosis (January 3, 2007)

    » Domo Arigato: Japanese Robot Awards (December 22, 2006)

    » HydrAlert Device (December 11, 2006)

    » Non-invasive Glucometry from Orsense Wins Award (December 7, 2006)

    » Parafricta Fabric (November 29, 2006)

    » i-Stick, an Intelligent Walking Stick (November 21, 2006)

    » Constant Health Companion™ by ALR Technologies (November 17, 2006)

    » How Its Made: Hearing Aids (November 2, 2006)

    » Alzheimer's Blood Markers Identified (October 31, 2006)

    » MHM100 Personal ECG Monitor (October 11, 2006)

    » Hoana PSA™ Technology (September 12, 2006)

    » The Helping Hand™ from Bang & Olufsen (September 11, 2006)

    » The Med-eMonitor™ System (August 25, 2006)

    » Sensors to Help Spot Dementia (August 1, 2006)

    » Biosensor Watch for Granny (July 21, 2006)

    » MD2 Personal Medication System (July 17, 2006)

    » External Urinary Catheters Potentially Better than Internal, Men Everywhere Breathe Sigh of Relief (July 13, 2006)

    » Bloomberg Encounters Interview with de Grey (June 13, 2006)

    » CRONies: Living Longer, Looking Lithe (June 6, 2006)

    » WL-16RIII Walkbot (June 1, 2006)

    » Motiva is Watching You (May 9, 2006)

    » Grandma's New Caregiver (March 16, 2006)

    » SKeeper™ (February 16, 2006)

    » The Hydron Implant Technology (January 20, 2006)

    » Knight Rider for the Senior Circuit (December 21, 2005)

    » Quiet Care (December 13, 2005)

    » The Bed Occupant Sensor (December 13, 2005)

    » Grampa's Exoskeleton (December 5, 2005)

    » Nipro Patient Movement Detector (November 17, 2005)

    » Electric Kenguru for the Disabled (October 13, 2005)

    » Alzheimer's and BMI (September 29, 2005)

    » NurseBot: Personal Robotic Assistants for the Elderly (September 14, 2005)

    » HarmonySystem for Sex Without (Physical) Pain (September 1, 2005)

    » The MDKeeper™ (August 29, 2005)

    » Alzheimer's Patients Need Glasses, Too (July 22, 2005)

    » Ankle Brace to Prevent Falls (July 21, 2005)

    » Fingernail Test for Osteoporosis (July 11, 2005)

    » The Yaktrax® Walker (July 8, 2005)

    » Weighted Back Support and Exercises Improve Balance, Decrease Risk of Falls in Older Women (July 6, 2005)

    » CIRCA for Dementia Patients (June 17, 2005)

    » ApriAlpha™, ApriAttenda: Home Life Support Robots (June 1, 2005)

    » SIMpill Does USA (May 16, 2005)

    » ClearRx Pill Bottle (April 18, 2005)

    » HAL 3 (April 14, 2005)

    » Primo Puel Doll: Making Golden Years Golden in Japan (April 13, 2005)

    » i-pot (April 11, 2005)

    » Teleglass by Scalar (March 31, 2005)

    » ACURIS System with e2e Wireless Technology (March 30, 2005)

    » accuDEXA® (March 28, 2005)

    » The Assistive Mouse Adapter for Patients with Tremors (March 15, 2005)

    » Rex-The Talking Bottle (March 10, 2005)

    » The Next Generation of Canes (March 8, 2005)

    » Ultra Suction™ dentures (February 24, 2005)

    » The LISA Pendant (February 18, 2005)

    » SIMpill (January 25, 2005)

    » CyberLogic: Confronting Osteoporosis (January 6, 2005)