“A lot of this is old technology,” Bob Miller, executive director of AT&T’s communications-technology research department, told the Dallas Morning News. “But we’re putting it together in ways that will help millions of people live dramatically better lives.”
Miller and his team are looking at ways to connect thermometers, scales, blood pressure cuffs and other “old technology” along with wireless radios to leverage WiFi networks and Bluetooth interoperability for connected medical devices.
Miller’s team at AT&T and Texas Instruments are working with New York-based start-up 24Eight to test the company’s smart insoles, which have been outfitted with pressure sensors and accelerometers. The sensors monitor how well walkers distribute their weight and can determine if their balance is deteriorating and if they are heading for a fall. The insoles aim to enable doctors to know just when to restrict elderly patients to wheelchairs before they could hurt themselves. About one fall per day occurs in a nursing home with 200 patients, and one in 20 of those falls typically leads to a fatal complication within six months, accord to the Dallas Morning News report.
AT&T, TI, 24Eight and Texas Tech University are testing the insoles as well as many other devices at the Garrison Geriatric Center in Lubbock, Texas.
“We haven’t collected enough data yet to discuss results, but we think it’s incredibly important to shift the focus of care from treating problems to preventing problems,” said Andrew Dentino, head of geriatric and palliative medicine at Texas Tech’s medical school.
GreatCall’s Jitterbug service just had a major setback — the easy-to-use mobile phone service makes use of one phone, the Samsung “Jitterbug” and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall of Samsung “Jitterbug” phones sold between March 2008 and May 2009. That makes for a voluntary recall of some 160,000 Jitterbug phones.
Swedish consumer electronics company Doro has been targeting the senior market with easy-to-use devices since 1974, and began offering easy-to-use mobile phones in the Fall of 2007. As a result, the company has a lot to teach the wireless health industry, which needs to find ways to successfully engage the older demographic since remote wireless monitoring has the potential to greatly impact that demographic’s well-being while reducing costs for the healthcare industry as a whole.
The University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) has appointed Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong as the new executive director of the UCLA Wireless Health Institute, which is 
TelaDoc Medical Services has tapped Kevin Williamson to be the company’s chief marketing officer. Williamson formerly served as staff vice president of Clinical Innovation and Strategy-Health Management at WellPoint. TelaDoc created the position of chief marketing officer for Williamson.
5C-Mobile is giving BlackBerry users a new reason to smile — Bright Smile Toothbrush Timer and Oral Care Guide, a mobile application for the “health-conscious.” The application includes a toothbrush timer that indicates how long each section of the mouth should be brushed and also includes detailed oral hygiene guidelines that cover brushing, flossing and general oral care.