By now, many of us have tinkered with artificial intelligence (AI) by chatting with a GPT. If you live in North Carolina and have renewed your vehicle registration online lately you interacted with an AI chat bot. At the very least you have heard about amazing things it is capable of or perhaps dark concerns surrounding its use and the potential for disruption.

As our population ages, addressing fall risks among the elderly becomes increasingly crucial for maintaining their well-being. Falls are a prevalent concern among older adults, leading to severe consequences such as injuries, hospitalizations, and decreased quality of life. Recent studies have shed light on the correlation between fall incidents and health status among the elderly, as well as the effectiveness of wearable technology in detecting and preventing such events.

Despite advancements in technology, preventing falls entirely remains a challenge. However, wearable devices equipped with fall detection capabilities offer a proactive approach to mitigate risks. By alerting caregivers or emergency services immediately after a real fall occurs, these devices facilitate prompt medical intervention, potentially reducing injury severity and improving outcomes for the elderly population.

Not all wearables are finding success, however as comfort, privacy, practicality, and user experience affect usage rates.

Listen to this episode of Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina with special guest, Richard Hirsh, Chief Marketing Officer for UnaliWear, a wearables tech company and producer of the Kanega watch for fall prevention.

How many times have you heard, “my child is always on their phone,” or get asked the question, “How can I make my child get off their phone?” when talking with parents about their teenager. This presentation will take a deep dive into what typical technology use among today’s teenagers is and the culture behind that use.

Almost a year into the pandemic we’ve transitioned most of our teaching and learning into completely virtual activities. By now most of us have participated in some live online activity by connecting with others via technology services such as ZOOM or Webex. For the most part, this modality seems to be delivering effective instruction in an accessible and convenient way, and literally meeting learners where they are via broadband Internet.

One of my favorite things to do it sit, listen, and talk with interesting people. For almost two years now I have had the pleasure of sitting down with some beautiful humans and recording these conversations for our Healthcare Insights in Northwest North Carolina podcast https://soundcloud.com/nwahecwebmaster

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is one of our main service areas at Northwest AHEC. We provide a myriad of learning activities throughout the year for all healthcare disciplines. Many who attend these activities are doing so to earn continuing education credits that keep licensure requirements current. While it is important, earning CE credits doesn't need to be the only motivating factor. So why not create a new path to enhance your career and earning potential by discovering new ways to expand your knowledge as a lifelong learner?

Enhance and Engage 

At Northwest AHEC, our goal is to deliver a high quality teaching and learning experience. The NWAHEC Instructional Design team is here help you integrate state of the art instructional technologies which engage learners, enhance knowledge transfer and retention. Our team works in partnership with event Planning Committees, Coordinators and Faculty to develop and deliver effective digital curriculum materials for synchronous and asynchronous instruction in the classroom and online. Together, we create an unforgettable experience for both faculty and learners.