AATP Interactive

Computer-based Technology for Older Adults

SPRY Foundation, together with government and private sector partners, is hosting a conference to open the dialogue and stimulate new exploration in this area. SPRY will bring together experts in the fields of computer-based technology, caregiving research, ethics and policy to exchange ideas and begin to seek answers to the questions that face the caregiving for our rapidly growing aging population in the United States

The conference will be held this weekend October 2-3, 2003 at the NIH Natcher Conference Center, Bethesda, Maryland. According to the description, 'many feel that the future of providing quality caregiving for older adults lies, in great part, with the use of computer-based technologies. Practical applications range from allowing older adults and their family members to access new health information and medical records, to monitoring key vital signs from a distance, even to locating individuals in their homes and determining whether they have taken their correct medications. These, and other important applications, are directly related to our nation achieving the Healthy People 2010 objectives for older Americans.'

One look at the agenda and the impressive list of speakers and it is easy to see that this will clealy be a significant beginning to an ongoing dialogue that will demonstrate the impact of technology on clinical care and communication.

Here is the press release for the conference.

Guide to the Wireless World

Wireless is one of the fastest growing technologies. Staying up-to-date on the possibilities and procedures can be frustrating, at least until now. PC Magazine is launching a Wireless Center. They are starting with the first of an eight-part weekly series on unwiring your life -- starting with wirelessly enabling your home. So if you want to go wireless at home or on the go, or you want to improve the wireless you have, don't miss this special report.

Guide to the Wireless World

Wirelessly Enable Your Home

Electronic Health Record - Draft

The EHR Collaborative sponsored a series of open forum meetings across the country in August to begin to set standards for the electronic health record.

According to the website set up by the committee, 'these forums have served as an opportunity to provide input into fast-moving advances toward the development of a functional model and standards for the electronic health record (EHR).' The collaboration sees this process as an evolution that requires participation from key federal agencies, healthcare institutions and individuals.

In order to develop an effective, universally accepted EHR model, such a project requires input from the end-users, those who manage the technology and information content, and those who will invest in its acquisition, implementation and maintenance. It is for this reason that the collaborating organizations are working to compile broad-based input from users to support and strengthen the work of HL7, educate the industry, build consensus, and facilitate adoption.

There are still opportunities to offer input. The report is published in a number of formats on the committee's website http://www.ehrcollaborative.org/

Is someone else reading your e-mail?

Recently reported on CNN Technology, a recent survey of 18,000 adults who use email at work, Yahoo! Mail found that 61 percent think that the IT department reads their personal email in secret. With the increased pressure to block viruses and spam, businesses and academic institutions have begun upgrading to very sophisticated software. Some of the new anti-virus software easily enables companies to read e-mails, track Web surfing, and monitor content moving in and out of corporations.

It may not be that e-mail managers want to necessarily read your email but the new software not only serves an anti-spamming/anti-virus function but it also does 'content filtering.' This means that certain subject lines can be automatically deleted, such as "Hi" or "read this." Also certain phrases within the email may set off alarms that prompt the managers to review an e-mail. Attachments also either set off alarms or may be automatically deleted, such as those ending in 'exe'

Although it has never been easier for employers to monitor the e-mails and Internet activity of their staff, there are precautions that you can take. An article on corporate spying describes some of the reasons for spying and steps that you can take to prevent it. There is also software that you can install that will block others from reading your email.

Or, you can just not worry about it!