Dispensary Corner 26 Sep 13
September 26, 2013
Could the future of aged care in
Australia be robotic?
Absolutely, according to
Professor Rajiv Khosla, who’s one
of the presenters at the upcoming
national conference to be hosted
by Health Workforce Australia.
Khosla, who is Director
of the Research Centre for
Computers, Communication
and Social Innovation at La
Trobe University, has invented
the robot companions which
are “programmed to provide
emotional support to older
people in aged care facilities”.
He said they can interact and
engage with patients, and allow
health professionals to undertake
other healthcare tasks.
Titled Skilled and Flexible: The
health workforce for Australia’s
future, the conference will take
place at the Adelaide Convention
Centre from 18-20 Nov - see
hwa.gov.au/2013conference.
Contrary to what you might
expect, having a plump puppy may
not be just due to overfeeding.
It may in fact be linked to some
“underlying emotional turmoil,”
according to research published in
the latest edition of the Journal of
Veterinary Behaviour.
Dr Franklin McMillan, former
clinical professor at the Western
University of Health Sciences
College of Veterinary Medicine
in California, reviewed studies on
the eating habits of pets, and says
he found that overeating may be
“in response to stimuli other than
internal hunger cues”.
He said there’s a clear link for
some cats and dogs between
eating and “negative emotions”
on the part of the animals.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 26 Sep 13To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 26 Sep 13
