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As our healthcare system becomes more complex and hard to navigate, a new profession has emerged: patient advocacy. Patient advocates are people who work to help patients navigate the healthcare system, and can in principle help save money, and help make sure one gets the best possible treatment when ill. In this article, we asked one of this new breed, Patricia Knight, to help our readers understand better: what is a patient advocate, what do they do, and do you need one? .........Read more

Recent Ithaca College Occupational Therapy Student Rebecca Helbraun discovers the challenge that toenail cutting poses for older adults; does some research; and invents, designs and prototypes a new solution. She shares her journey here. .........Read more

When the conversation turns to interacting with customers before a product is "finished", most product developers I've talked to are enthusiastic. But they have very different opinions about when to interact with customers, how to interact with them, and for what purpose. I believe there is a way of thinking that helps resolve these questions, depending on the details of the company, and the stage of product development they are at. This article is to share it. .........Read more

Dignity of the elder must not be disregarded in the name of protection: whether we are dealing with the difficult issues of how to convince dad to give up the car keys, mom’s need for placement in a facility, or fear of money being improperly acquired by a scammer. The question posed is how to maximize the preservation of dignity in the face of true need for protection of the elder? This article addresses the issue as it relates to financial abuse of elders, but the principles are equally applicable in other situations. .........Read more

"Good" medication management is widely believed to be desirable, by older adults as well as by clinicians. This article is about what factors make medication management systems useful for a given person, and outlines a series of circumstances for which specific features of these products can be helpful. Think of this as a "how to get started" guide to the topic of medication management systems. .........Read more

After several years of product evaluations and unmet need explorations with groups of older adults, this is my most striking take-away. "While there is no shortage of problems for which older adults would like solutions, the vast majority of products we have looked at are either hard for elderly people to use, or do poorly the "job" our older adult demographic wants to get done". This article is about why (in my opinion) this is the case, and about errors to avoid.  .........Read more

Pokémon Go is a new App (Game) has taken the world by storm. This article suggests it could be a great Game for Seniors, helping to encourage healthy exercise. The article (plus video) explains what Pokemon Go is, and how one plays it. .........Read more