News ‘shorts’ for shorts weather

[grow_thumb image=”https://telecareaware.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/00114031.gif” thumb_width=”150″ /]It’s summer on both sides of the Atlantic–and shorts were spotted at the British Open! Thus a ‘short’ roundup of three items of interest–but this is after you read Charles Lowe’s superb Soapbox on bidding the WSD farewell, and TANN England’s Chrys Meewella’s latest on rural telemedicine.

An update on the US Department of Defense’s and Veterans Affairs’ efforts to combat PTSD. “Every VA facility is now required to provide evidence-based treatments for PTSD, including prolonged exposure” (PE). PE asks the patient in session to revisit, in their minds, the traumatic event. A study published in JAMA Psychiatry in July examined treatment by relatively novice therapists using PE with over 1,900 patients for PTSD and depression, and found that PE was effective in reducing both comparable to previous trials, plus “The proportion of patients screening positive for PTSD on the PTSD Checklist decreased from 87.6% to 46.2%.” The Reuters Health article reprinted in MedCityNews is an overview; link to JAMA abstract is here (subscription or library access required for full content.) TTA related: PE smartphone app coach 6 Aug 12.

Adding teddy bears to wearables, from Croatia…IDerma has developed Teddy the Guardian, a stuffed bear that according to a PSFK report records a child’s heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure and oxygen saturation, then sends the data to the parent’s smartphone. All the child does is to put their finger on Teddy’s paw or the paw on their forehead. According to the article, the sensors are CE/FDA approved, but reading this over, the system is not FDA approved nor is it in production. Note the IDerma engagement with Croatia’s bid for entry in the EU and the young entrepreneurs behind it. Hat tip to Toni Bunting, our new Contributing Editor and TANN Ireland editor.

Pointer to the future. Webnapperon form factors PCs into everyday objects. This Belgian based company reimagines a simplified PC as everyday, familiar objects on a side table–a picture frame is the screen, a doily interacts with the computer and through its RFID reader, reads a tagged item from family and friends that looks conventional, but has an RFID chip that delivers additional content  Apparently very little capability beyond this from the article but but perhaps serviceable for the oldest–and a pointer to the future in accessorizing objects with RFID chips. Springwise.com, and another hat tip to Toni Bunting. Website (in French)