This list of links has been very thoughtfully put together by Dan Scott. They’re US-based and although advice and progress may be different in other countries, the general principles still apply. If any links seem a tad dated, that’s my … Continue reading Guest post: COVID tips for older adults by Dan Hall
Healthy living as a young or middle-aged person looks quite different from staying healthy as an elderly person. While transitioning into new habits that’ll keep you healthy in your senior years can be a big change, it doesn’t have to be a difficult one. A few changes here and there are all it takes for you to live your life to its healthiest and fullest when you’re enjoying your golden years. Stay Active: Engaging in light to moderate exercise regularly can work wonders for your health. Light stretching, walking, and swimming are all great ways to get your body moving in a safe … Continue reading Guest Post: 4 Healthy Living Tips for Seniors by Marie Villeza
This is from our blog post after meeting with the two people from Grace Eyre who helped us make the videos: Keith and Mikey had their first look at the videos today and it’s safe to say they were pretty pleased with them. I said we would be posting them up on the site by the end of the week and Mikey wanted to know where that would be. Keith said that they would be on the internet so ‘everyone’ could see them. He was even more pleased to think that his rather fine self would be preserved on film … Continue reading Decisional capacity: Good Question demo videos now available
Brighton is an extraordinary place. Described by the journalist Keith Waterhouse as ‘a town that always looks as though it’s helping the police with their enquiries’, I’ve imagined Eastbourne and Worthing either side folding their arms, tapping their feet in an irritated fashion and wishing it would just sit down and be quiet, for goodness sake. I blame the Prince Regent; if he hadn’t come waltzing down here with his entourage, partying like it was 1799 and building hallucinatory palaces, the sixties would never have got a look-in and we would not now have this noisy, unruly, flamboyant, drama-queen of a city. I can’t help thinking Hove is a reluctant bride in … Continue reading So, where was I …?
Samantha was a 29 year old woman with cerebral palsy who was in the sole care of her mother. It is thought that she died as a result of being unable to care for herself or to call for help when her mother died suddenly. This was in 2010. There had been concerns since 1998 after Mrs Wolf, Samantha’s mother, was admitted to hospital with mental health problems, after which support from GPs and social services was increasingly denied. Mrs Wolf, apparently, was afraid that Samantha would be taken away from her. (St Albans Review inquest report) I can understand … Continue reading Samantha Backler – died of starvation
‘Future Tense‘ is a networked programme coming from ABC, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and fronted by the superb Antony Funnell. It focuses on developments in technology and, if its presenter’s level of knowledge, interest and awareness is anything to go by, it has a discerning and informed audience. This episode includes an update on our virtual world study and it’s in the extremely good company of studies of distraction therapy using gaming for children with severe pain, a technique called the Decision Tree to help people engage with and monitor their own health, and medical self-tracking. These programmes, which cover … Continue reading Virtual Worlds Research: interview on Australian radio
This was the Trust’s third R&D conference, a reflection of the key role research now plays in NHS activity and how recent this incorporation has been. Clinicians have always undertaken research and development, whether in response to highly focused problem solving for a specific issue or as a more speculative process out of which something entirely original was born. The difference now is that, rather than working alone with no formal structures by which to network for new skills and ideas, we are increasingly able to access the vast resources of university colleagues and they, in turn, are able to … Continue reading Sussex Partnership research conference
∑ Until mid June at any rate! For some reason, all the calls for new research funding bids are open now and have to be submitted in the next few weeks, come Hull, Hell or Halifax! Along with that is the mandatory report on our virtual world study, delayed by Christmas, snow, and participants who would rather go line dancing (who can blame them?) than talk to us. We pleaded for an extension. Computer said no. Resoundingly. So today I went into free-fall over the data for the recent study, had an apoplectic moment over my mean squares while trying … Continue reading Goodbye friends and family!
Remember my post about Havok7 and things tumbling about in virtual worlds? Well this week, events in my real world have been tumbling about too! First up, I played football in Second Life with Dave Taylor (Our Man at Imperial College ) using an on-the-spot created ball by way of a demonstration of what the current version of Havok can do. We already have bump, jiggle, and dislodge, it seems so next time we can maybe incorporate it into our build. That’s the value of teams – Dave knew what could be done but not that it might be useful, … Continue reading What Havok and Smurfs can do for you
This 64-year-old man did nothing wrong. He had learning (intellectual) disabilities and struggled to cope with the day-to-day demands of an ordinary life. All he wanted was the comforts of his home, his trips to the shops, and his cigarettes. What he needed and maybe didn’t know so much about was the support of his family and neighbours, and this he seems to have had in abundance. He also needed the respect and consideration of the wider community, some of whom hounded and harried him to the point of his death. No one should have to tolerate the abuse and … Continue reading Death of David Askew, a man with learning disabilities
Dr Suzanne Conboy-Hill 