Portfolio Life .net

family trumps blogging at times like this

One of the curious things is how the science, the math, behind products gets buried in the brochure. Good idea? Apparently.

Company’s platform: Support for tired feet:

“Desert and beach dwellers love their flip-flops, but flip-flops don’t always love folks with sore feet.”…

In the late 1990s, an orthotics manufacturer Fox knew in California asked him to market its new product.

The company had taken a database of thousands of foot measurements and distilled it to 73 sizes and three levels of rigidity to match most people’s feet. What had been expensive, custom-made products became a “footbed” that sold for around $50….

(Via azcentral.com | business.)

Still cool to learn the concept.

C/net news has an article - Elderly to benefit from ‘fuzzy logic’ research

…The technique has already been used in a number of applications, but Coupland said the project’s researchers will now focus on quality of life for the elderly.

he Centre for Computational Intelligence will work with the University of Missouri’s Center for Eldercare and Rehabilitation Technology, which has carried out extensive research on sensor technology.

Specially developed sensors can monitor people’s movements, capture sleep patterns, or measure pulse and respiration, making them useful in identifying medical emergencies or diagnosing health problems.

Using the information gathered by the sensors, for example, fuzzy logic will be able to distinguish between similar-sounding but disparate events such as someone falling over and a door slamming, therefore reducing the number of false alarms….

they go on to describe how the technique doesn’t use cameras or other privacy intrusive devices. It does include audio monitoring but is looking for key sounds like someone falling or a door slamming.

“One of the big things is to do this without impeding on their personal life,” Coupland said. “We’ve got to be careful how we use this.”…

Professor Robert John, director of the Centre for Computational Intelligence, said this kind of technology will play an important role in allowing people to lead more active lives in the future, with less dependence on social care….

It’ll be at least fives years before it is fully tested, approved and implemented. Sounds very timely given the boomer generation’s independent streak.

GenBetween posts about another site, Aging Parents and Elder Care.
I’m sure its good, given the recommendation. And I may post more about it later.

Being in a state where 60% of the population lives in one mega-city and 20% in another berg, I’m attentive to the medical issues facing the remaining 20%. Especially as they age. The key is letting them stay in place for the social support while getting quality specialist care when needed. Things like this from the American Academy of Family Physicians will help:

Virtual Office Visits: A Reachable and Reimbursable Innovation
They’re convenient, they’re efficient, and for a growing number of physicians, they pay….