Vizitant

Medical doctor sings praises of video calling

John D. Halamka, MD, MS, is Chief Information Officer of the CareGroup Health System, Chair of the US Healthcare Information Technology Standards Panel (HITSP), and a practicing Emergency Physician (among other things). On his weblog this week he waxed lyrical about his recent experience of telepresence (advanced video-calling) -

"The press gathered at the Cisco booth on the floor of HIMSS and I welcomed them to my basement via Telepresence. We chatted for an hour with full life-sized 1080p real time video. Truly, there was no difference from sitting in a room together, other than the fact that my basement had a bubbling fish tank and 2 rabbits running around.

Telepresence is just high definition video and audio with the feeling that you are in room with the other participants, not on a video conference. All the eye contact, gestures, and common courtesy you'd use in an in person meeting are natural in Telepresence. I changed my body position, my eye focus and my voice direction as I spoke to various participants. The technology worked perfectly over my home Verizon FIOS 20 megabit connection. I really enjoyed using the technology to connect with HIMSS while being in Boston with my daughter."

Computer systems designed for (and by) seniors

Two young inventors have created a device that might change the way older Americans get news and entertainment, according to the Courier-Journal.

"Using modified MP3 players, computers and large touch-screen monitors in high-contrast colors for people with impaired vision, Charles De Vilmorin and Herve Roussel have created a digital kiosk that serves as a sort of iPod for older people."

From the photograph it appears to use a similar touchscreen to that which we've installed in Dromcollogher Respite Center. And it's great to hear that they really listened to their true customers when designing the system - 

Fred Johnson, director of programs and special events at Vinson Hall, said residents helped the inventors tweak their product to deliver what they wanted. "The residents basically dictated what this is," Johnson said.