Retraining IT Technicians to Help the Elderly use Telehealth Technology
Thursday, April 1st, 2010
The Health and Wealth Care Initiative for Vermont and New Hampshire is seeking a $1.75 million grant, which it will match with $750,000, under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to retrain IT workers. These will be people who are familiar with older computer systems, who will now be trained to work with “cloud computing” where applications and data reside on the Internet instead of on local computers.
The retrained IT workers will then act as mentors to elderly people helping them use telehealth systems. Telehealth systems link patients to their healthcare providers over the Internet. Digital devices can transmit patient data to the healthcare provider and patients receive guidance and treatment remotely.
The retrained IT workers will help the aged to use devices like the Apple iPad that combines a phone and computer. Elderly patients living in rural areas can benefit greatly from the new initiative, its proponents argue. It will also create new employment opportunities to IT workes whose skills might be outdated.
One incidental benefit claimed for the initiative is that patients are more honest in answering health questions over the computer as against face-to-face consultations with their physicians.
Read the news at fosters.com
Tags: cloud computing, elderly, information technology, retraining, telehealth systems
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Video Games for Improving Memory and Thinking Skills in the Elderly
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
National Science Foundation of USA has made a $1.2 million grant to Carolina State University and the Georgia Institute of Technology for a research study. The study will examine whether video games can improve memory and thinking skills in elderly people, and if they do, how it occurs.
The grant will also cover using the findings of the study to develop a prototype video game that will improve the cognitive functioning of this group. With an improved memory, for example, the elderly will better be able to go about their daily routines.
The study will focus on identifying the specific qualities of a video game that help improve cognitive functions.
A set of guidelines will then be formulated for developing a new class of video games for use by older adults. A prototype game will be developed following the guidelines. ccording to the spokesperson of the research group, previous studies have indicated that the three qualities of attention demand, novelty and social interaction of video games can help improve cognitive functions.
Video games demand focused attention for successful play and developing the attention habit can lead to successful completion of other tasks. The novelty of encountering tasks one has not faced before can act as a catalyst for learning. Social interaction can also make the players devote more attention and effort to the game.
The study will start with a test of the cognitive functioning of the participants, who will be persons aged 65 and above. The participants will then play one of the two video games, BOOM BLOX or BOOM BLOX Bash Party. The cognitive functioning of the participants will then be tested again.
BOOM BLOX is a Wii console based video game developed collaboratively by Electronic Arts and Steven Spielberg. According to researchers, it was chosen because its “novelty, attentional demand and social interaction may be manipulated by the researchers.” It would thus be possible to identify the particular factors that improve cognitive functioning.
If, say, the novelty and attentional demand qualities are found to improve cognitive functioning, a new game focusing on these two qualities will be developed. Testing the new game on the participants will help researchers see whether the greater benefits in cognitive functioning can be useful in the real world.
Read more at: Cam Video Games Improve Thinking Skills in Elderly?
Tags: cognitive functioning, cognitive skills, elderly, memory, thinking, video game
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