My new website is launched - May 4th

Thanks to all my readers of this blog. I have appreciated your comments and feedback over the past 6 months. As always....my goal is to share insight and information with adult children of aging parents so their parents can "thrive and find joy" in every stage of life.

Now I have a treat for you! Today, I launch my new website. It has been a lot of hard work and a big learning experience but it is ready. Yes!!!! http://www.transitionagingparents.com/

This new website gives me the flexibility to offer more content in different ways, and interact with my readers in a more effective way. (Note: I'm in the process of moving all my old blog content to this site).

Please link out to my new site, explore, subscribe and share your thoughts (through the "Leave a Comment" area or Contact form).

Check out the new F*REE 5 part E-course. I am excited about sharing it with you! If you submit your email address in the E-course signup box, you'll also get my bi-weekly ezine packed with tips and information on resources, options, and new innovations for your aging parents.

I look forward to seeing you there! My best, Dale...

"Electronic mosquito" to aid diabetics

I get very excited when I read about new innovations that could help my elderly mother. She has diabetes and needs to regularly test her glucose level. Pricking her finger is not one of her favorite activities, and she often has trouble with the glucose testing kit.

So, it was with interest that I read about a new device, the "electronic mosquito", patented by engineers at the University of Calgary. This innovation offers a "less invasive alternative" to diabetics who have to take regular samples of their blood. As the article points out, diabetes has been described as a global epidemic, affecting 246 million people around the world.

What is the "electronic mosquito"?
* a patch, like an adhesive bandage, about the size of a deck of cards

How does it work?
* "contains four micro-needles that bite sequentially at programmed intervals"
* controlled to penetrate the skin at just the right depth so the patient experiences little or no pain
* a sensor in each cell measures glucose levels
* data can then be sent wirelessly to a computer or some personal monitoring device
* alarm can be sounded if glucose levels go into the danger zone

What are the next design steps?
* Make components smaller to fit more needles on the patch, thus allowing the patient to wear patch for longer time or test more frequently
* The engineers hope to integrate a pump system for insulin injections that could become "autonomous based on data from the e-Mosquito".

Challenges?
* The university's technology transfer and incubation centre needs to find an industry partner to speed up product development and bring this new technology to market

(Source: http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=10259.php)

Adaptive Lighting improves quality of life for the elderly

"Studies have shown that the quality and type of lighting can have a significant impact in our health and comfort", explains research Edith Maier in Austria.

She is part of a European research team, the Aladin project, that has developed a prototype for lighting that adapts automatically to meet an elderly person's individual need! The person does not have to take any direct action. The technology senses conditions in the person. I really believe that such 'personalized' technology is the wave of the future for the elderly.

What benefits does adaptive lighting offer?
* improves the well-being of people who spend long periods of time in artificially lit buildings
* reduces physiological/psychological problems caused by poor lighting: decreased energy, disrupted sleep, vision problems and reading difficulties

How does this work?
* A person wears biosensors in a glove.
* Heart rate and skin conductance is measured to determine level of activity.
* Measurements are fed wirelessely into a control system.
* The system then knows when to switch between "brightly lit active setting" and "more subdued relaxation mode.

If the person is trying to concentrate on a task, the light will intensify. If they are trying to go to sleep, it will dim. The research team is also experimenting with different intensities and colors of light. The system could eventually be used as part of building management to control lighting, temperature, communications and safety.

The research team expects there will be a large market for technologies that can improve quality of life in the elderly and keep them active and less dependent on others. Think of what it will mean, on a personal basis, to the elderly person.

Source: "Lighting up the Lives of the Elderly", http://alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=55481&CultureCode=en