"Communication is one of the unique things that makes us human. We use communication to greet each other, to request help, and to share knowledge. The ability to communicate is important for healthy social interaction. But what happens when a person is no longer able to communicate effectively? The field of augmentative communication addresses the loss or lack of communication a person may be experiencing due to neurological and motor deficits."1
Effectively working with others in any environment is essential to living a normal life. However, cercumstances can occur which happen this abbility, such as the effects listed in the quote above. Medical science has strived over time to help these victims continue thier day to day activities even when plagued by these, and other harmful effects. To this
end, modern hospitals use computers more often to help in the rehabilitation of others, be
it from a major accident, or a simple household mishap. Such computers can be as complex as
a Wireless Body Area Network2 or as simple as a work environment simulator.
The picture to the left illustrates a simulator used by the UMass Outpatient Rehabilitation Services.3
It is a fully graphical 18-wheeler simulator, with even a wheel, to help truck drivers to
learn to avoid injuries while on the job. Other simulators for other jobs are also available. Other technologies focus on the health and safety of victims after medical treatment, during periods of rehabilitation. One group of study, NeuroEngeneering2 is striving to create a full Wireless Body Area Network to allow communication with the patient and many different services during the periods or rehabilitation or even after the patient is released. The basic summary of the system, is that a patient wears a portable monitoring device, one that can even by integrated into their normal clothing. This monitoring device is then linked via the internet, to certain terminals that can be monitored, by health care supervisors, emergency services, or even the patients physician.2 This allows the medical services to monitor the patients health throughout the process of rehabilitation, and also allows quick response should unforseen results occuring during this period. A diagram of the system is show below.
Although monitoring and prevention are good uses for technology, it has many applications in the actual process of rehabilitation as well. Consider the starting quote, communication is very important, without it, humans vertually helpless. It is this fact that started technologies to help those with these problems, most specifically those who are deaf or blind, be it perminent or temporary. Various tools have been created to help those who suffer from these ailments, hoping to allow these people to adequatly communicate by other, augmented means.
The left picture shows the UMass Voice Lab3 used to help those with difficulty understanding
or speaking languages due to injury or other means. There they can analyze problems, and help train
patients to use augmented communication technology to better communicate with others. Other programs
are also hoping to expand this field. RehabTool2 is a website devoted to selling technology
products who have disabilities, or difficulty with certain day to day functions we, as normal healthy
humans take for granted. Here they sell many specialized tools to help people with many different ailments,
including communication difficulty. Their current selling software is called VocalizeŽ2, an
"innovative speech assistant that we developed with speech impaired persons to enable them to speak in
a friendly human voice using standard computer equipment." Such technologies greatly aid caregivers, as
not being able to completely communicate to a physian about how you feel or if you feel pain will
hinder the medical system in knowing what problems someone is facing.As shown, computer technology as greatly improved the care that can be given to patients during their most vulnerable times. They allow these patients to learn how to avoid injury on the job, and help to get them back to work as a productive member of society. Technology can be used to monitor these patients, allowing increased data collection and quick response in case of emergency. It can also be used to augment certain daily fuctions that may no longer be available to that particular individual. Through more research in Rehabilitation Engineering, more uses for computers can come about to further improve the care given others.
References:
1 http://www.cs.wright.edu/bie/rehabengr/AAC/core.htm
2 http://www.rehabtool.com/
3 http://www.umassmemorial.org/ummhc/hospitals/med_center/services/rehabilitation/outpatient.cfm
4 http://www.jneuroengrehab.com/content/2/1/6