Disability News Weekly Roundup – Monday, August 11 – Friday, August 15

Human Interest:
Mothering with mental illness (The Washington Post)
A mother living with major depression worries that she cannot be a good enough parent to her three-year-old son. And she is concerned that there is nothing she can do to mitigate the damage her illness may be inflicting on him. But recently, when her son was running into her bedroom to “check on” her and she saw his funny, loving little face, she wondered if he might also be gaining something positive from all this, observing that he is passionate, kind, and sweetly patient in a way that you wouldn’t expect from a child this age. She concludes that trying to let go of her perception of herself as failing as a mother is a form of self-care: she must take care of herself because she has to be there for her son.

Policy:
Nation’s 911 system inching towards greater accessibility (Disability Scoop)
Under a rule adopted earlier this month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will require all wireless carriers and certain other applications that allow users to send text messages to facilitate text-to-911 services by the end of the year. The offering is considered to be of particular benefit to those who are nonverbal or have hearing disabilities as well as people with speech and other communication difficulties. However, the service is unlikely to be available nationwide in the near future, because emergency call centers also must have technology to receive and respond to the messages.

Medicare considers ending coverage for bone-anchored hearing devices (The Hearing Review)
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have proposed a new rule that would end coverage for people who need bone anchored hearing solutions, systems that have traditionally been covered by Medicare. Adoption of the rule would affect the thousands of people in the United States who have found traditional hearing aids to be ineffective in treating hearing problems. According to a press statement from a manufacturer of these devices, if the proposal were accepted, the United States would be one of the very few industrialized nations not to cover this technology.

Rehabilitation:
Clearing the path home (The New York Times)
The Care Transitions Intervention, a service 15 years in the making, helps patients transition from hospital to home care. For patients who desire the service, a coach comes to their homes two to four days after discharge. Over about an hour, the coach – a nurse, social worker, or other health care professional – asks about patients’ goals as they recover. The coach will discuss medications taken, symptoms that might require medical attention, and whom to contact if help is needed. Over the next few weeks, the coach also follows up to see if home caregivers have all the information they need.

Research:
Involuntary eye movement a foolproof indication for ADHD diagnosis (Science Daily)
There are currently no reliable physiological markers to diagnose Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a commonly diagnosed – and misdiagnosed – behavioral disorder in children in the US. But a new study from Tel Aviv University researchers may provide the objective tool needed to accurately diagnose ADHD. According to the research, involuntary eye movements accurately reflect the presence of ADHD, as well as the benefits of medical stimulants that are used to treat the disorder.

No difference in blind and sighted people’s understanding of how others see the world (The Washington Post)
Even when blind from birth, sightless people understand how others see the world in the same way that sighted people do, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University. What’s more, the research determined that the information is recorded and processed in the same way by the same areas of the brain, whether a person is blind or can see. This argues that blind people do not have to “simulate” a concept by having their own first-hand experience of it to understand it.

Sports:
Regardless of location, concussions serious: Study (Reuters)
Concussions in high school football players are equally serious no matter where on the head the hit occurred, according to a new study conducted at the Colorado School of Public Health and the University of Colorado at Denver. Researchers reviewed data from the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study including 2,526 football-related concussions. Researchers did find that the vast majority of players who received impacts to the top of their had had their heads down at the time of the hit. The findings support the tackling technique that keeps players’ heads up, compared to their heads being aimed down while running at another player.

Technology:
ActiveProtective airbag belt to protect hips from fractures (Medgadget)
A new company called ActiveProtective is working on introducing a belt-worn airbag for seniors who are prone to falling. The device is worn much like a regular belt, but on the outside of the clothing, and includes sensors that monitor the movement of the hips. If the device detects that the person is falling, an airbag pops open before the person hits the ground, cushioning the fall.

HexHog ATV for wheelchair users who want to rough it (gizmag)
A British engineer has developed an electric wheelchair designed to perform well in even the roughest outdoor terrain. The HexHog is a six-wheeled electric all-terrain vehicle (ATV) that allegedly can cross moorland, farmland, and even peat bogs. With the purchase of an additional kit, it can also be driven on the road like a car. The HexHog is controlled by a joystick and features a control system that moves the seat into a lower position to facilitate transfer from a wheelchair. The article includes a video showing the HexHog in action.

Nanosheet burn dressing clings to uneven skin (gizmag)
Burns are a difficult injury to treat, particularly in parts of the body where the skin bends around bones and joints. But researchers at Japan’s Tokai University have developed a new ultra-thin material that clings to those harder-to-treat locations, serving to ward off infectious bacteria. The material consists of a biodegradable polyester which was broken into small pieces by immersing it in water and spinning it around. When poured onto a flat surface, after allowing the water to evaporate, the broken fragments meshed together to form a single nanosheet.