Technology for Parkinson’s

There are a wide variety of technology options out there to help make day to day activities easier for people with Parkinson’s.

From apps and software to devices and living aids, there’s a lot of options available. In this blog, we’ll look at some interesting technologies and give some tips on how to make technology more accessible for those who may be less tech-savvy.

Interesting Technology:

Emma Watch – As part of the BBC documentary series, “Big Life Fix”, Microsoft was brought on board to design and create a prototype watch to help graphic designer Emma with her tremor. While only in a research stage, the watch helped Emma, who was diagnosed with Young-onset Parkinson’s at the age of 29, to manage her tremor and to continue her passion for graphic design. You can see more here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/project-emma/

GyroGlove:

Another interesting technology in the research phase is the GyroGlove, a glove designed to be worn by people with Parkinson’s to reduce the effect of hand tremors throughout the day. This technology could obviously have a huge impact on the everyday lives of people with Parkinson’s. At this time, the glove is still being tested.

Beats Medical Parkinson’s Service:

The only Parkinson’s app and service to provide clinically proven allied health therapy. The Beats Medical app helps with some of the walking, speech, and hand movement symptoms many people with Parkinson’s experience. Best known for providing “metronome therapy”, a beat you practice walking to which changes every day based on your symptoms, the Beats Medical app can help get you walking at your best. Find out more here.

Top Technology Tips:

iPad’s are a great tool for those not familiar with technology, or who experience difficulty with tremor and fine hand movements. An easy-grip case or cover for the iPad can also help.

For those with tremors, adjusting some of the settings on your iPhone or iPad makes things a little easier. Just go to the Settings app on your device and look for “Accessibility”. Here you can adjust text and button sizes, as well as tweak the touch screen controls so that multiple accidental taps on the screen don’t count.

When setting up accounts, usernames, and passwords for apps, emails, and profiles, remember to try keep things simple and easy to remember. You can create a secure password that is memorable and easy to type for a person who has tremors or is not too comfortable with technology.