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Leave a comment Posted on September 24, 2015September 22, 2015 Social media

Telemedicine – does it actually work? Have your say at our discussion blog!

As many of you know I’m very interested in the whole area of using technology to improve the quality healthcare. We have covered many different varieties of social media over the last couple of years. You can see a few topics here.

Telemedicine Image courtesy of imagerymajestic at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In the last few months the subject of telemedicine has reared its head. Whether ugly or not remains to be seen. Telemedicine being defined as “is the use of telecommunication and information technologies in order to provide clinical health care at a distance. It helps eliminate distance barriers and can improve access to medical services that would often not be consistently available in distant rural communities” according to our friends at Wikipedia.

So I was very interested in a report from the UK government which has just come out. The report is entitled “Evaluation of the Telephone Support Psychological Wellbeing and Work Feasibility Pilot”. You can read a summary here. Though I have to say it is one of the worst written documents I have ever cast my eyes over. Which bureaucrats can’t write comprehensible English beats me.

Anyhow the evaluation of the ‘Telephone Support’ intervention which hopes to improve employment and health prospects for people with mental health conditions was on the main pretty positive and further trials are recommended.

So what do you think?

It would be great if you would consider using the comments sections below.

You might want to consider the following questions:-

a) Have you ever used Telemedicine? If so for what reason?
b) How effective was it?
c) Would you recommended it to others?
d) If you have not tried it would you consider doing so?
e) Is telemedicine privatization by the back door?
f) Overall what is your view of telemedicine?

Many thanks in advance

Leave a comment Posted on June 17, 2015June 17, 2015 Social media

Conscious Crafties is a new craft website for anyone living with chronic illness, disability or caring for those affected – a guest post from Karen Thomas

Conscious Crafties

Conscious Crafties is a craft buying and selling website for anyone living with chronic illness, disability or caring for those affected. It’s built by a Spoonie for Spoonies. My name is Karen and after becoming sick almost overnight, I found my way to various support networks. I noticed that many of us turn to crafts to help distract from our illnesses and to feel useful again. Some of us can’t work, but we still have lots to offer the world! Seeing so much untapped talent, I had the idea of a community for everyone to showcase their work, in one place and give people a way of creating their own business. It was also a way for me to feel useful again, by using my skills to help others. Using some techie magic, I help everyones crafts get found by buyers and also post on our various social networks so items get seen by hundreds. The website and our Facebook page has only been live for just over 4 weeks and already, we have almost 1000 likes. I’m passionate this is going to be something wonderful to help so many of us.

Stories are told:

Each ‘Craftie’ gets to tell their story on the site, to spread awareness in our ‘Meet the Crafties‘ section. They can also ‘Add Friends’ within our community and send each other messages.

Here’s my story:

In 2011 I was perfectly healthy going about my workaholic lifestyle when BOOM! – I started fainting up to 10 times a day and my bed became my best friend. A year later I was diagnosed with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) a rare condition affecting the blood vessels and heart rate. There’s no cure, but reaching out to others with the same condition has been a huge help in learning to live with it. 3 years later I was told my POTS was caused by EDS (Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) a connective tissue disorder affecting the skin, cartilage, ligaments & blood vessels – everything that holds us together! I also have some bonus conditions: fibromyalgia, raynaud’s disease, chronic pain syndrome,migraines and asthma. Life has been tough, but I’ve met some wonderfully strong friends who also live with chronic illnesses. Many have turned to craft to bring joy into their lives. This incredible group of people are the worlds untapped talent. Buying their beautiful handmade items (& mine!) will help to rebuild their lives.

How to get involved:

To join in the fun and start selling on ConsciousCrafties.com, apply here:

http://www.consciouscrafties.com/sell/

Buy beautiful handmade gifts here:

http://www.consciouscrafties.com/

Like us on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/consciouscrafties

https://twitter.com/ConsciousCrafty

Leave a comment Posted on June 9, 2015June 9, 2015 Social media

bTizzy.com – a new website for people with disabilities a guestpost from Vanessa López-Kopp

For the past year, we’ve been really busy.

bTizzy

Upgrading. Expanding. Shifting. Building. Facelifting. Renaming.
Some of you knew us as OUT OF STEP. We’ve shed that skin and are now called bTizzy. All the work we’ve been doing has put us in a, yep, you guessed it: a Tizzy. When we were brainstorming names, bTizzy seemed to best reflect the new direction we were headed.

More specifically, it has an attitude about it. What we are trying to do is shift the paradigm and existing perceptions about the disability community. We are leaving the pity party behind. We are embracing a more open dialog, fostering community, speaking to issues, passions and yes, frustrations, too: all the things that make up the diverse lifeblood of our population. And most critically, we aim to increase the economic power of people with disabilities (PWD).

Toward that end, bTizzy.com has an array of offerings that are about and for disability. A few highlights:

• K-TIZ RADIO. With four shows covering every corner of disability, we’re putting the mic in front of the movers and shakers as well as everyday advocates and heroes in our world.

• FORUM. We want to get people talking. And helping. Whether it’s finding a new apartment or a friend, the key is connecting.

• KNOW. This area is a vital resource for PWD. Legal, medical, events, relevant articles, it’s all here for you to know. And learn.

• SHOP. Products and Services by PWD have a new marketplace: bTizzy.com. Commercial success is critical to our success. And yours. Our goal is to level the economic playing field. To help disabled people become financially independent. To thrive.

We welcome you to stick around and check out the new digs.

We welcome your feedback. Post what you think about us, about the current state of disability, about your latest triumphs – whatever you are impassioned about — in our FORUM.

We welcome [and would be most grateful for] your social engagement online: spread the word, tell your friends and colleagues, post away. Communication is everything. We want folks to join the conversation. We’re at our best when we’re engaged.

We welcome you to bTizzy.com.

We welcome you to Get Into One.

bTizzy is a one-stop shop for all things disability. From product and service offerings made by people with disabilities (PWD) to an extensive information hub featuring radio, community services and invaluable references, bTizzy’s ultimate mission is to increase economic opportunities and create positive social change for PWD.

Join the conversation at: bTizzy.com

Patient Talk

As many of you know I’m very interested in the whole area of using technology to improve the quality healthcare. We have covered many different varieties of social media over the last couple of years. You can see a few topics here.

Join the conversation at: bTizzy.com