Saving lives from miles away: Telemedicine is giving new meaning to the phrase ‘universal healthcare
One of the worst parts about catching a cold, or needing to refill a prescription, is actually having to haul your butt all the way to the doctor’s office, only to sit in the waiting room for an hour. It’s even worse if you live in a remote area, and a hundredfold more extreme if you live in a third world country. The medical industry has always been limited by manpower. One doctor can only treat SO many people, and advanced diagnostics equipment can only travel SO far (i.e.
We’re creating our own visual map of what a ‘dementia-friendly community’ should look like
The release of an official “dementia atlas” for England – a visual map of living with dementia allows anyone to click on their own region and see how this fares compared to the average – is a good starting point for exploring regional differences in care. It includes the rates of diagnosis, emergency admissions to hospital, end-of-life care and dying where one wishes to. One section on how dementia-friendly an area is compared to a national average is a measure of the number
3 Unexpected Ways Developers Use Prefab To Save Time And Money
Innovative prefabrication construction methods are a hot topic of conversation in the development industry, and when we’re seeing 57-storey high-rises go up in 19 days there’s no question why. A developer’s approach to prefabrication doesn’t have to be ‘all or nothing’, and some of the most creative uses of prefab are garnering the best results for projects across the country. According to Cameron Monks, Business Development Director at Interpod Offsite, using modular prefabr
The best way to help older people is to stop ‘telling’ and ‘fixing’
The way we communicate with seniors living in residential aged care or at home can either build or inhibit their capability, writes Lindsay Tighe. The key to enabling aged care consumers to have more choice and control over their lives is to change the way we communicate with them. Traditionally, aged care has been delivered in a “provider knows best” approach, but since the reforms began in the sector this has now shifted to a “consumer knows best” philosophy. Lindsay Tighe
Services recognised for innovation in latest sector awards
A program that studies the health and wellbeing benefits for residents that come from looking after hens in residential aged care is among the winners of this year’s Better Practice awards. The Whiddon Group trialled the HenPower program as a new initiative to improve quality of life for residents through combatting social isolation and loneliness. The HenPower program was created by Equal Arts in the UK, which originally aimed to give older men living in the community increa
time for some old fashioned innovation
Tonight is a big one for my dad. He is on the Spirit of Tasmania with his new motorhome, off on his first real excursion, testing his capacity to bring a dream into reality. It will not be easy. His mobility is limited and there is much he will need to figure out as he goes. But hardest of all is not figuring out how to cope with the practical realities of daily life on the road. Hardest of all is that my dear mum is not with him. She will spend the next few weeks in the deme
Why Google Duo will actually make you want to use video calling
Google's new app, Duo, is a simple video-calling service that's available for Android and iOS today. Alongside the upcoming messaging app Allo, it's one of two communication apps Google announced earlier this year at its I/O conference, and one of four altogether from the company. In a way, it's Google's answer to Apple's FaceTime, and it makes one-to-one calling between Androidphones, and from Android to iPhone, very simple. Though both parties have to download the app to be
he new retirement age: researchers suggest old age begins at 74
When is a person no longer middle-aged? 55? 60? How do we define old? Many of us would consider 65 the turning point. After all, in Australia, people traditionally reach retirement age and can qualify for the Age Pension at 65, which has quite naturally come to symbolise the entry point into older age. Research from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Vienna, Austria has come up with some refreshing new information that may well turn our curren
Robots care for the aged
Have you seen the movie Robot & Frank? It's about a retired jewel thief who's dealing with the onset of dementia, and his son tries to help by giving him a robot as companion and carer. The movie came out in 2008 and, eight years on, robots are at a level of sophistication where they could provide both care and companionship for older Australians. But do we want them to? The Australian Society for Medical Research (ASMR) is the peak professional society representing Australia
Australian Business Register examining staffing arrangements of in-home care providers
The Australian Business Register (the ABR) has joined the list of government agencies that are taking a pro-active approach to stop workers being improperly engaged as independent contractors, and is now actively targeting providers of in-home care services. Along with the Fair Work Ombudsman, the Fair Work Commission and the Australian Tax Office – which are already all involved in ensuring that workers are engaged, paid and taxed correctly – the ABR is revoking ABNs held by