Overview -- REHACARE Trade Fair

Photo: Person filling out an application form for employment; Copyright: PantherMedia/Andriy Popov

Inaccessible application forms are a barrier

Inaccessible application forms mean that nearly a third of people with a learning disability found it hard to apply for jobs, according to Mencap’s new survey of 1625 adults with a learning disability in the UK.

Photo: Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth and Kostiantyn Lupyr with a patient; Copyright: MedUni Vienna

Retinal screening in diabetes: diagnosis by robot

The digital revolution in ophthalmology, foreshadowed around two years ago, has now become a clinical reality: Since the middle of the year, MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital have been using automatic digital retinal screening, without assistance from an ophthalmologist, to detect diabetic retinal disease.

Photo: User with the VR device on his arm; Copyright: Dr Yu Xinge

Skin-integrated VR device shows great potential for prostheses control

A research team of scientists and engineers from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and Northwestern University in the United States has developed a skin-integrated virtual reality (VR) system, which can be controlled and powered wirelessly. The innovation has great application potential in communications, prosthetic control and rehabilitation, as well as gaming and entertainment.

Photo: Male with VR glasses and a virtual screen in front of him; Copyright: PantherMedia/Wavebreakmedia ltd

Virtual reality would make attending therapy easier for stroke survivors

Researchers have created a virtual reality clinic to make it easier for stroke survivors to attend their physical and occupational therapy sessions. Results from a proof-of-concept study suggest that the technology - and the social connection it facilitates - are effective at encouraging therapy participation.

Photo: Drawing children in pre-school; Copyright: PantherMedia/OMG Images

Teaching group work to students with autism

Children with autism have an obvious disadvantage in starting and carrying meaningful conversations with their peers. A study with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder showed that through a structured protocol of group work with typical peers these children were able to increase significantly their social interactions.

Photo: A wheelchair user takes a closer look at an exoskeleton with a researcher. Researchers evaluate the technical data in the background; Copyright: ETH Zürich/Alessandro Della Bella

ETH plans competence centre for holistic rehabilitation

ETH researchers are planning to partner with clinics, foundations, public authorities and other institutions through a broad-based initiative aimed at improving the quality of life and participation of people with physical disabilities.

Photo: Glacier iceberg in an ice lagoon; Copyright: PantherMedia/Filip Fuxa

Immersion in virtual reality scenes of the Arctic helps to ease people's pain

Watching immersive 360 videos of icy Arctic scenes helps to relieve intense burning pain and could hold hope for treating chronic pain, a small study has found.

Photo: Phillips Lab of Cumming School of Medicine investigates sleep and its impact; Copyright: Kelly Johnston, Cumming School of Medicine

Sleep and sleepiness 'a huge problem' for people with spinal cord injury

A new study led by a University of Calgary researcher at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM) finds that fatigue and sleep may need more attention in order to prevent issues like stroke after spinal cord injury.

Photo: Young child having MEG brain scan whilst interacting with mum; Copyright: Prof. Rebeccah Slater

New 'bike helmet' style brain scanner used with children for first time

A new wearable 'bike helmet' style brain scanner, that allows natural movement during scanning, has been used in a study with young children for the first time. This marks an important step towards improving our understanding of brain development in childhood.

Photo: Michael Weber (left) and Johannes Imhoff presenting their child seat for wheelchairs ; Copyright: Koziel/TUK

A rail system allows child seat to be simply attached to the wheelchair

Taking a child along in a wheelchair is not an easy task for people with walking disabilities. Within the framework of several student projects, young engineers at Technische Universität Kaiserslautern (TUK) have dealt with this topic.

Photo: An usual rush hour traffic situation in a big city; Copyright: PantherMedia/chungking

Living in a noisy area increases the risk of suffering a more serious stroke

The high levels of environmental noise we are subjected to in large cities can increase both the severity and consequences of an ischaemic stroke. More precisely, researchers put the increased risk at 30 percent for people living in noisier areas.

Photo: The M-Enabling Forum Europe 2019; Copyright: beta-web

European digital inclusion strategies

The 2nd M-Enabling Forum Europe took place on September 19, 2019 at the Congress Center of Messe Düsseldorf during REHACARE. The conference demonstrated the importance of promoting digital inclusion and accessible and assistive technology for persons with disabilities and senior citizens.

Photo: McMaster undergraduate student Ronald Perinpanayagam works with one of the seniors who participated in the study; Copyright: Paulina Rzeczkowska

Researchers find high-intensity exercise improves memory in seniors

Researchers at McMaster University who examine the impact of exercise on the brain have found that high-intensity workouts improve memory in older adults.

Photo: Female Participant doing Interval Walking Training; Copyright: Shizue Masuki, Shinshu University

Quality over quantity! Interval walking training improves fitness and health

Interval Walking Training is a method that is effective in increasing overall fitness and decreasing healthcare costs associated with lifestyle-related diseases of the middle-aged and elderly. That's the result of a study of Dr. Shizue Masuki of Shinshu University.

Photo: Study participants Johnathon DiFusco and his mother Susan Freeman together with Elisa Cruz-Torres (in the back); Copyright: Florida Atlantic University

Teens with autism can master daily living skills when using video-prompting

As adults, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be highly dependent on family members or assistance programs for their day-to-day living needs. Research has shown that people with ASD are strong visual learners. With technological advances, devices such as smart phones and tablets have become more portable and ultimately, accessible to caregivers.

Photo: A child and a grown up man with Down syndrome in a park; Copyright: PantherMedia/nd3000

High rates of dementia amongst people with Down syndrome

Not so many years ago, people with Down syndrome rarely survived to middle age. Many died young due to heart problems associated with the congenital condition.Today, advances in treatment have allowed them to live longer, healthier lives. But these advances have also revealed a previously unknown characteristic of the condition: increased risk for dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Photo: Actimetry sensor in a wristwatch-like device on a wrist; Copyright: Peng Li/Brigham and Women's Hospital

Predicting frailty, disability and death

Using a wristwatch-like device, researchers detected fluctuations in the daily motor activity of older adults that could predict increased risk of deteriorated quality of life or death years later.

Image: Group vector design of business workforces; Copyright: PantherMedia/Ramcreative

Risk factors for unemployment with multiple sclerosis vary by age

A recent study by Kessler Foundation researchers explored numerous factors that contribute to the high unemployment rate among individuals of different ages with multiple sclerosis (MS). This is the first investigation to consider age within the context of disease- and person-specific factors affecting employment in MS.

Photo: Patient doing a gait analysis; Copyright: PantherMedia/SimpleFoto

Looking at the way we walk can help predict cognitive decline

The way people walk is an indicator of how much their brains, as well as their bodies, are aging. Scientists reporting say that gait disorders, particularly slowing gait, should be considered a marker of future cognitive decline. They propose testing motor performance as well as cognitive performance in older adults with mild cognitive impairments.

Photo: Example of gaze fixation points; Copyright: Ben-Gurion University

Tracking gaze patterns might help detecting autism

Measuring children's gaze patterns as they watch movies of social interactions is a reliable way to accurately identify nearly half of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) cases, according to a new study just published in Autism Research by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers.

Photo: Senior woman undergoing eye test; Copyright: PantherMedia/leungchopan

Helping people with low vision retain their independence

More older Americans will have to live with low vision. That's why the American Academy of Ophthalmology offers tips to help people with low vision retain their independence and how to make life easier and safer.

Photo: Young man in the Icaros flight simulator; Copyright: German Sport University Cologne

Rehabilitation: Exergaming with Icaros

Studies show significant correlations between periods spent sitting and the prevalence of chronic diseases. This also applies to children and adolescents. One of the major obstacles to people taking up physical exercise is a lack of motivation. The solution could be Icaros: a flight simulator with exergaming technology that promises the user an element of fun while at the same time keeping fit.

Photo: Emblem for the Paralympics 2024; Copyright: Paralympic Movement • IPC

Paralympics: Paris 2024 reveals the face of its Games

Paris 2024 unveiled its new emblem at a spectacular, mass-participation event where sport provided the theme. In fusing together three iconic symbols – the gold medal, the Olympic flame and Marianne – the emblem embodies the idea of a friendly, people’s Games. And for the first time in the history of the Games, the emblem is common to both the Olympics and Paralympics.

Photo: Man and woman communicating in sign language; Copyright: PantherMedia/Andriy Popov

Sign language translator app to bridge the gap between deaf and hearing

Kaunas University of Technology (KTU), Lithuania students created a mobile app that allows translating sign language characters. The app is also an alternative way of text typing.

Photo: Young man during the acoustic emission demonstration; Copyright: Lancaster University

Listening to 'noisy knees' to diagnose osteoarthritis

A new way of diagnosing and assessing knee osteoarthritis (OA) has moved a step closer with a major study paving the way for its use in research and clinical practice. The technique involves attaching small microphones to knees, and detecting high frequency sounds from the joint components as people perform sitting standing movements.