New interview

Last week we had another immensely valuable conversation, this time with a person who experiences a condition first-hand.

Dr. Sorenson Interview

Today we were privileged enough to talk to Dr. Rena Sorenson who works with children experiencing severe behaviors mostly related to autism. She covered many topics and shed light on every subject we touched upon. It was a completely insightful conversation.

Reports on Disorder

I know we decided to focus on Seizures, but I found a site that shows various conditions of different Epilepsy patients that are categorized by the age, diagnosis, treatment etc. It provides better understanding of there lives.
http://www.kidsepilepsy.com/

A kid with severe Epilepsy

I don't know why this website has this strange name, but this gave me a good insight.
http://embarrassingbodieskids.channel4.com/video/living-with/living-with-epilepsy/

Interesting Tech on Epilepsy

I just saw this and was intrigued by the device this child carries...
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/40907000/ns/today-today_health/

Google docs

I created a Google Docs folder for us to use and included:

Notes from week one (brainstorms and current group direction)
Rough Draft of Interview Guide
Contact Information

Let me know if you have trouble accessing- I've never made a group before!

-Marilyn

Other Category

There is also a category for medical (operational) use, such as PediSedate (see below). Though I’m not sure if this particular product was actually successful as long as I see reactions from readers of the articles tho....

"PediSedate is a medical device consisting of a colorful, toy-like headset that connects to a game component such as the Nintendo Game Boy system or a portable CD player. Once the child places it on his or her head and swings the snorkel down from its resting place atop the head, PediSedate transparently monitors respiratory function and distributes nitrous oxide, an anesthetic gas. The child comfortably becomes sedated while playing with a Nintendo Game Boy system or listening to music. This dramatically improves the hospital or dental experience for the child, parents and healthcare providers.

The result is a system that provides a calming influence over the children, monitors the child continuously, allows the procedure to be performed by less skilled personnel, increases the speed with which procedures can be performed and makes the procedure a less stressful experience for all involved." (From: http://io9.com/5264776/new-medical-device-sedates-children-with-drugs-videogames)

Why Use the Headgears?

As promised, here are the conditions of the protective headgear users in addition to what we already brainstormed. There is no % breakdown of the incidents I could find, but based on the post from Matt, Seizures and Epilepsy seem to be most common? If anyone find the information, please post! If not, we can check with the nurses what they experienced.

v Developmental disabilities: Such as Autism

v Seizures: Frequent and unpredictable seizures due to causes like Epilepsy and stroke

v Recovering post-surgery patients: Head injuries, scull fracture, brain surgeries

v Falling: One in 3 adults 65 and older fall each year, with 1 out of 3 not able to live independently as a result of the fall." (The National Safety Council)

v Cosmetically deformed calvarium: For reshaping

v Significant motor-impairment: As orthotic devices to help participate in the normal activities or to secure an enteral feeding tube

v Spinal and neck injury: Extended protection maybe needed other than head protection

v Bump prevention: For babies and infants. Soft fabric materials. See the products from Headbumpa, an Australian company, below. They also offer products for adults with disabilities. ( http://headbumpa.com.au)

Medical Headgears vs. Sports/Utility Helmets

Thanks Matt for opening the blog!

I have been having a hard time spotting information on the Web! Using the name medical/protective headgear instead of medical helmet has a better hit rate :)

Differences between the medical headgear vs. sports/utility helmets to note: medical headgears are usually softer and designed for lesser impact to the heads vs other helmets. Before these protective gears became available, sports helmets were used by the patients. While they had some protective qualities, they added excessive weight, reduced vision, were hard to clean and didn’t fit properly.

Epileptic Head Gear

Im personally struck by how something as commonplace as going on a vacation can turn into an ordeal for a person suffering from epilepsy. The most attractive looking helmet I have seen is the "Plument", and thats not saying much. I'm also surprised by how many people have the disorder- 300 Million americans, roughly 1 in 100 peples. For more statistics check the link below.

http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org/about/statistics.cfm


"Suitable helmets are commercially available through sporting good stores, medical supply companies, and the rehabilitation departments of some hospitals. Hockey helmets (CCM and Bauer) are one of the best choices. They offer maximal protection, come in a variety of colors, fit all age groups (except infants) and can be purchased and fitted in any sporting goods store."

http://www.epilepsy.com/epilepsy/safety_helmet



http://www.thudguard.com/news/safety-helmets-for-bouncing-babies


http://www.plument.com/
$130-230

Danmar Helmets

Danmar seems to be a big player in medical and rehab helmets, and the bar is set low.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpErfH9bYgY&feature=player_embedded#!