Web-based and social media tools are making it easier to get health information, find doctors, make appointments, keep records, and get support. These tools are revolutionizing the healthcare field and the way people approach the practice of medicine.

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from eHealth Insider ...

"Intel is to open a new social networking pilot to encourage older people who are house bound or socially isolated to engage in social activity.

The "Building Bridges" pilot, which will go-live next week, will explore how technology can help support older people, including those who have lost social connections through poor health, retirement and widowhood. ..."

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" ... Twitter’s simplicity of functional design, speed of delivery and ability to connect two or more people around the world provides a powerful means of communication, idea-sharing and collaboration. There’s potency in the ability to burst out 140 characters, including a shortened URI. Could this power have any use in healthcare?..."

Phil Baumann has compiled an intriguing and idea provoking list of applications in which Twitter is currently being used or can be used. Well worth the read.

• Click here to visit the website
• Click here to download the e-book version

 

 

 

"... Over half of the adult internet population is between 18 and 44 years old. But larger percentages of older generations are online now than in the past, and they are doing more activities online, according to surveys taken from 2006-2008.

Contrary to the image of Generation Y as the "Net Generation," internet users in their 20s do not dominate every aspect of online life. Generation X is the most likely group to bank, shop, and look for health information online. Boomers are just as likely as Generation Y to make travel reservations online. And even Silent Generation internet users are competitive when it comes to email (although teens might point out that this is proof that email is for old people). ..."

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A publication of the Pew Internet & American Life Project

Visit the PEW Internet website to download the report

"... The share of adult internet users who have a profile on an online social network site has more than quadrupled in the past four years -- from 8% in 2005 to 35% now, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project's December 2008 tracking survey. ..."

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A publication of the Pew Internet & American Life Project

Visit the PEW Internet website to download the report

The Market:  Worldwide video gaming is a growth business with sales (hardware and software) reaching $37.5 billion in 2007 and estimated to surpass $61.9 billion by the year 2012. Health eGaming is a new and rapidly expanding segment that delivers aspects of the Casual and Serious Gaming markets to consumers seeking improved exoeriences and professionals focused on performance enhancement. Casual Gaming is a $2.2 billion market composed of fun and easy to learn video games that can be played across mobile, PC, Mac and console platforms. Serious Gaming is a $1.7 billion market segment focused on utilizing gaming applications to achieve benefits beyond entertainment, such as training, education and performance improvement.

... iConecto estimates the Health eGaming market at approximately $7 billion during the next 12 months including the markets for brain fitness ($267M), exergaming ($6.4B+) and other Health eGames on the consumer and professional side ($250M+). 

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Click here to read the Executive Summary of the report published by iConecto

 

Harris Interactive has just released their latest poll projecting the number of adults ("cyberchondriacs") that search online for health information. Summary of the results and trend tabulations are available on their website.

Visit http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=937

 

 

from Associated Press ... If Sen. John McCain is really serious about becoming a Web-savvy citizen, perhaps Kathryn Robinson can help.

Robinson is now 106 - that's 35 years older than McCain - and she began using the Internet at 98, at the Barclay Friends home in West Chester, Pa., where she lives. "I started to learn because I wanted to e-mail my family," she says - in an e-mail message, naturally....

... Only 35 percent of Americans over age 65 are online, according to data from April and May compiled by the Pew Internet Project at the Pew Research Center.

But when you account for factors like race, wealth and education, the picture changes dramatically. "About three-quarters of white, college-educated men age over 65 use the Internet," says Susannah Fox, director of the project.

"John McCain is an outlier when you compare him to his peers," Fox says. "On one hand, a U.S. senator has access to information sources and staff assistance that most people do not. On the other, the Internet has become such a go-to resource that it's a curiosity to hear that someone doesn't rely on it the way most Americans do." ...

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In a recent survey smokers and snackers report a decreased activity in their respective bad habits making casual games a much healthier break!

According to the American Cancer Society smoking-related diseases claim an estimated 430,700 American lives each year and we all know the country has a fixation on weight-loss and obesity. Did you know that consumers are turning to computer games for relaxation, and stress-relief?

In a recent survey, commissioned by RealGames™,the Games Division of
RealNetworks®, playing casual games has a positive affect on bad habits and poor lifestyle choices. Here are some findings:

• Of the respondents watching their weight, 59 percent agreed playing casual games was a distraction from snacking.
• Of those who are smokers, 42 percent said playing casual games was a distraction from smoking and tobacco use.
• Smokers typically play casual games on weekdays after work, before
  they go to sleep or on the weekends. This is often the time when they take a smoke break.
• Hidden picture games are the most popular among smokers. "Little
  Shop of Treasures" and "Mysteryville" are big favorites in this genre.
• Participants most commonly report feeling "relaxed and relieved of
  stress" after a typical game break during their day.

Survey Methodology -- The research was conducted by Information Solutions Group, http://www.infosolutionsgroup.com for RealNetworks. The results are ased on online surveys completed by 4,537 respondents randomly selected etween December 28, 2007 and January 11, 2008.