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‘Girl math’ may not be smart financial advice, but it could help women feel more empowered with money

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ylva-baeckstrom-1463175">Ylva Baeckstrom</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/kings-college-london-1196">King's College London</a> If you’ve ever calculated cost per wear to justify the price of an expensive dress, or felt like you’ve made a profit after returning an ill-fitting pair of jeans, you might be an expert in <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/girl-maths-tiktok-trend-its-basically-free-b1100504.html">“girl math”</a>. With videos about the topic going viral on social media, girl math might seem like a silly (<a href="https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/girl-math-womens-spending-taken-seriously">or even sexist</a>) trend, but it actually tells us a lot about the relationship between gender, money and emotions. Girl math introduces a spend classification system: purchases below a certain value, or made in cash, don’t “count”. Psychologically, this makes low-value spending feel safe and emphasises the importance of the long-term value derived from more expensive items. For example, girl math tells us that buying an expensive dress is only “worth it” if you can wear it to multiple events. This approach has similarities to <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/modernportfoliotheory.asp">portfolio theory</a> – a method of choosing investments to maximise expected returns and minimise risk. By evaluating how each purchase contributes to the shopping portfolio, girl math shoppers essentially become shopping portfolio managers. <h2>Money and emotions</h2> People of all genders, rich or poor, feel anxious when dealing with their personal finances. Many people in the UK do not understand pensions or saving enough to <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/workplacepensions/articles/pensionparticipationatrecordhighbutcontributionsclusteratminimumlevels/2018-05-04">afford their retirement</a>. Without motivation to learn, people avoid dealing with money altogether. One way to find this motivation, as girl math shows, is by having an emotional and tangible connection to our finances. On the surface, it may seem that women are being ridiculed and encouraged to overspend by using girl math. From a different perspective, it hints at something critical: for a person to really care about something as seemingly abstract as personal finance, they need to feel that they can relate to it. Thinking about money in terms of the value of purchases can help create an <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/every-time-i-use-my-card-my-phone-buzzes-and-that-stops-me-shopping-ps0fjx6nj">emotional relationship</a> to finance, making it something people want to look after. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GPzA7B6dcxc?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>The girl math we need</h2> Women are a consumer force to be reckoned with, controlling <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/bridgetbrennan/2015/01/21/top-10-things-everyone-should-know-about-women-consumers/#7679f9d6a8b4">up to 80%</a> of consumer spending globally. The girl math trend is a demonstration of women’s mastery at applying portfolio theory to their shopping, making them investment powerhouses whose potential is overlooked by the financial services industry. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/oct/28/women-paid-less-than-men-over-careers-gender-pay-gap-report">Women are disadvantaged</a> when it comes to money and finance. Women in the UK earn on average £260,000 less than men during their careers and the retirement income of men is twice as high as women’s. As I’ve found in <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Gender-and-Finance-Addressing-Inequality-in-the-Financial-Services-Industry/Baeckstrom/p/book/9781032055572">my research</a> on gender and finance, women have lower financial self-efficacy (belief in their own abilities) compared to men. This is not helped by women feeling patronised when seeking financial advice. Because the world of finance was created by men for men, its language and culture are <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Gender-and-Finance-Addressing-Inequality-in-the-Financial-Services-Industry/Baeckstrom/p/book/9781032055572">intrinsically male</a>. Only in the mid-1970s did women in the UK gain the legal right to open a bank account without a male signature and it was not until 1980 that they could apply for credit independently. With the law now more (<a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2023/03/02/pace-of-reform-toward-equal-rights-for-women-falls-to-20-year-low">but not fully</a>) gender equal, the financial services industry has failed to connect with women. Studies show that 49% of women are <a href="https://www.ellevest.com/magazine/disrupt-money/ellevest-financial-wellness-survey">anxious about their finances</a>. However they have not bought into patronising offers and <a href="https://www.fa-mag.com/news/gender-roles-block-female-financial-experience--ubs-says-73531.html">mansplaining by financial advisers</a>. This outdated approach suggests that it is women, rather than the malfunctioning financial system, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/16/women-are-not-financially-illiterate-they-need-more-than-condescending-advice">who need fixing</a>. Women continue to feel that they do not belong to or are able to trust the world of finance. And why would women trust an industry with a <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/bulletins/genderpaygapintheuk/2019">gender pay gap</a> of up to 59% and a severe lack of women in senior positions? Girl math on its own isn’t necessarily good financial advice, but if it helps even a handful of women feel more empowered to manage and understand their finances, it should not be dismissed.  <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ylva-baeckstrom-1463175">Ylva Baeckstrom</a>, Senior Lecturer in Finance, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/kings-college-london-1196">King's College London</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/girl-math-may-not-be-smart-financial-advice-but-it-could-help-women-feel-more-empowered-with-money-211780">original article</a>. </div>

Money & Banking

Beloved Coronation Street star dies aged 89

Coronation Street star Joan Savage has passed away at 89. The actress, known for her role as Celeste Pickersgill in the ITV soap series, was reported to have passed away peacefully in her home in Twickenham earlier this month. Her cause of death has not been revealed. Tributes have poured in from the star's friends and family. In a touching tribute, her daughter Kelly wrote: "Mum always used to say 'I'd like to go with my tap shoes on' so the last few years have been extremely difficult for her and us as a family. "I hope she's reunited with her show biz contemporaries and putting on a show up there!" she added. Her friend, Cheryl Forbes paid tribute to the actress on X. "Our dear friend, the remarkable Joan Savage, passed away recently," she tweeted. "She was a real star and absolutely brilliant at everything she did," she continued. "An actress, comedienne, singer, impressionist and dancer. "She was truly a very special talent." <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Our dear friend, the remarkable Joan Savage, passed away recently. She was a real star and absolutely brilliant at everything she did. An actress, comedienne, singer, impressionist and dancer. She was truly a very special talent 💔 <a href="https://t.co/mDtL2YTeX6">https://t.co/mDtL2YTeX6</a> — Cheryl Forbes (@mezzocheryl) <a href="https://twitter.com/mezzocheryl/status/1724507318316859598?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2023</a></blockquote> Savage has spent over six decades in the show biz industry. She starred in an episode of Dad's Army in 1972, and made multiple appearances in The Arthur Haynes Show between 1956 and 1962. Aside from her glittering career on the screen, she also ventured out into music, theatre and entertainment. She toured as the leading lady in a George and Alfred Black revue called Music and Madness, where she met performer Ken Morris - who she later on married in 1955 - and the pair performed as a double act. The duo appeared in multiple big shows and advertisements at the time including Hi Summer, The Black and White Minstrel Show, The Jack Jackson Show and The Arthur Haynes Show. In 1960, they welcomed daughter Kelly, but their love story was cut short when Morris tragically passed away on July 3, 1968 following a brain tumour. Four years later, Savage remarried, and tied the knot with husband Bryan on November 1972. She continued performing and had also established herself as a solo artist, creating popular love songs, comedies and even went on to win the Nordring Radio Prize for her singing in 1974. Savage is survived by her husband Bryan, her daughter Kelly and her two grandkids. Images: Getty/ Youtube

Caring

These 10 smart grocery swaps can help reverse diabetes

Diagnosis diabetes It can feel daunting to be faced with the need to make a major lifestyle change. You enjoy food, and you should. At Reader’s Digest, we like to think nature designed nutrition to taste delicious so it can be a source of pleasure in your day that’s fun to look forward to. If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetes or pre-diabetes, this diagnosis doesn’t have to take over your whole identity and all the things that bring you joy. There are ways to adapt some of your favourite foods so you can still have them! Registered dietitian Jackie Newgent lists interesting meal swaps you can make so that classic dishes can be healthier, while still plenty pleasurable. With some wisdom and dedication, it can be possible to turn your condition around and feel great for good. Pair starchy with non-starchy veggies Instead of: one kilo potatoes Buy: 500g kilo potatoes plus 500g cauliflower This mashed potato hack keeps your total carbs in check without forgoing flavour. Whip equal parts boiled potatoes together with roasted or boiled cauliflower. The results of this dynamic duo may help you better manage your blood glucose, since they’re carb-friendlier than a huge bowl of mashed potatoes alone: 100 grams of cooked potatoes without skin provides 22 grams of total carbohydrates, versus 13 grams total carbohydrate in the 100 gram combination of cooked potatoes and cauliflower. Pick fruit you can chew <div> Instead of: one litre apple juice Buy: one bag of apples Enjoy whole fruit rather than just the juice whenever possible to get all the fibre of the naturally sweet fruit with its edible peel…plus chewing satisfaction. One medium apple contains 4.4 grams of fibre while a 200ml glass or juice box of 100-percent apple juice has 0.4 grams of fibre. The soluble fibre in apples can help slow down absorption of sugars. Polyphenols in apples may have powerful antioxidant properties. Grill a better burger Instead of: 500g 85% lean ground beef patties Buy: 500g ground chicken breast Gram for gram, chicken breast has significantly less saturated fat than the marbly beef of classic burgers. Specifically, an 85g cooked 85% lean ground beef patty has five grams of saturated fat compared to 0.6 grams of saturated fat for a cooked patty made from 85g of chicken breast meat. Keeping saturated fat intake low is especially important when you have diabetes to help keep your heart healthy. Pro-tip: make chicken burgers juicier and tastier by combining ground chicken breast with a little plain yogurt, rolled oats, and herbs and spices before cooking. Look for live cultures in the dairy section Instead of: one container regular cottage cheese Buy: one container plain low-fat Greek yogurt or cultured cottage cheese Probiotics are “good” bacteria that help keep your gut healthy. For people with type 2 diabetes, research published in Advances in Nutrition suggested that probiotics may also have glucose-lowering potential. So, pop products with live active cultures (probiotics) into your cart while strolling by the dairy aisle. Choose plain low-fat Greek yogurt or cultured cottage cheese. Be sure to read the nutrition labels, since probiotics aren’t in all dairy foods. And, for the lower-sodium pick, stick with yogurt. Choose healthier-sized grain portions Instead of: 1/2 dozen bakery-style plain bagels Buy: one package of wholegrain English muffins Swapping wholegrain in place of refined grain products helps kick up fibre and other plant nutrients. Studies suggests this is linked to lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Also, opting for healthier-sized varieties, such as wholegrain English muffins rather than big bakery-style plain bagels helps cut kilojoules (and carbs) – not enjoyment – while promoting a healthier weight. In fact, you’ll slash over 1000 kilojoules by enjoying a whole-wheat English muffin instead of that oversized 140g bagel. Get your munchies with benefits Instead of: one bag of potato chips Buy: one jar or bulk-bin container of roasted peanuts It’s a no-brainer: a small handful of nuts is a better bet than potato chips. Peanuts, for instance, offer a triple whammy of dietary fibre, plant protein and healthy fat, which can boost satiety. Greater satisfaction means a greater chance you’ll keep mealtime portions right-sized. When peanuts or other nuts are eaten along with carb-rich foods, they can help slow down the blood sugar response. Plus, a Mediterranean study found that higher nut consumption may be associated with better metabolic status. Dress a salad smartly Instead of: one bottle of fat-free salad dressing Buy: one small bottle olive oil plus one small bottle balsamic or red wine vinegar Some bottled salad dressings can trick you. For instance, “fat-free” salad dressing may be loaded with added sugars. (For reference: four grams of sugar is equal to one teaspoon.) So, read salad dressing labels carefully for sneaky ingredients, especially excess salt (over 250 milligrams of sodium per two-tablespoon serving) or added sugars (more than five grams added sugars per two-tablespoon serving). Better yet, keep it simple and make your own vinaigrette using 2-3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Select less salty soup Instead of: one can/carton of vegetable- or bean-based soup Buy: one can/carton of low-sodium vegetable- or bean-based soup When compared to people without diabetes, sodium levels were higher in patients with type 2 diabetes, based on a meta-analysis published in European Journal of Nutrition. Curbing sodium intake is beneficial for people with diabetes since too much may increase your risk for high blood pressure. So, slurp up soup that’s low in sodium. And kick up flavour with a splash of cider vinegar, grated citrus zest, herbs, spices, or a dash of hot sauce. Go for "naked" fish Instead of: Breaded fish sticks Buy: Frozen salmon fillets Cut salmon into large cubes, season, and grill on skewers. Or make fish sticks by simply cutting into skinny fillets, season and roast. Why? Research published in Diabetes Care finds that eating oily fish may be associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes. Non-oily fish, like the whitefish in fish sticks, didn’t show this link. Salmon is an oily fish and a major source of omega-3 fatty acids, a heart-friendly fat. Plus: when you make your own salmon skewers or sticks, you won’t have extra carbs from breading. Do dip with a punch of protein Instead of: one container of sour cream & onion dip Buy: one container of pulse-based dip, like hummus Wise snacking can be helpful for managing blood glucose. It can also be delicious. Dunk veggies or wholegrain pita wedges into pulse-based dip, like hummus, black bean dip, or lentil dip. Check this out: one-quarter cup (that’s 60 grams) of onion dip has 870 kiljoules, five grams of saturated fat, 1.2 grams of protein, and 0.1 grams of fibre, while one-quarter cup hummus has 590 kilojoules, 1.5 grams of saturated fat, 4.7 grams of protein, and 3.3 grams of fibre. Hummus clearly wins! Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/healthsmart/diabetes/reverse-diabetes-10-smart-grocery-swaps?pages=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader's Digest</a>. </div>

Food & Wine

"I can't wake Mummy up": Olympian dies at 43

A former Olympic swimmer has passed away suddenly at the age of 43 while on a trip with her family. Helen Smart, a British swimming champion who competed at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, was found unresponsive by her four-year-old daughter Heidi when she tried to climb into bed with her parents. Heidi then woke up her father Craig Smart, saying, "Daddy, I can't wake Mummy up," before Craig discovered his wife lying next to him dead. Smart's mother confirmed the news of her passing, telling the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12413199/Ex-Olympic-swimmer-turned-headteacher-Helen-Smart-dead-four-year-old-daughter-heartbreaking-video-shows-mother-paddleboarding-hours-sudden-death-aged-42.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MailOnline</a>, "Heidi had woken up in the night and tried to get into bed with her. She said to her daddy, 'Mummy won't wake up''. He said, 'Oh, she must be very tired Heidi - you go back to bed'." "He put the torch on and he said later that when he looked he could tell." Linda continued, "We're distraught. They don't know what it is but they think it must have happened shortly after she went to bed. She just died in her sleep." Just hours before her sudden passing, Helen and her family had been paddle boarding in the north of England, while on a trip for her brother Robert's 40th birthday. Helen had not been suffering with any illnesses her family knew of. Linda said, "At midnight, she went to bed telling me: 'I'll go to bed now mum as I know I'll be woken at 6am by Heidi. I just want to get some sleep in as I've had a long day.'" Linda was then woken by Robert at 4am who said, "Mum, dad, you need to keep up - we think Helen's died." Smart's father John said he and his wife "can't comprehend how she could simply go to sleep and not wake up." Helen became a school principal after her retirement from swimming and was enjoying her new life. Craig Smart took to her school's Facebook page to say his wife "loved the school, staff, children and parents so much." "She was so proud to reach her goal of being Head Teacher," he continued. "She used to say to me all the time she could never see herself at another school. She was Worsley Mesnes through and through! I remember only last week she said her goal was to get the school to outstanding and that she had the right staff to achieve this!" "I hope you all keep learning like champions. Please learn from this and live your best life, no regrets, take lots of photos, make memories and keep smiling just like Helen always did!" he added. Image credits: Twitter / Getty Images

Caring

Mum of four saved by her smartwatch

Ricki-Lee Wynne was gifted a smartwatch from her husband for her 40th birthday and she believes that without it, she wouldn’t be alive today. "There's no doubt that my smartwatch saved my life," she told 9news.com.au. Months prior to receiving the watch, Wynne had been experiencing strange health problems. "I was getting a pain over my shoulder blades and it hurt each time I breathed in," she said. Doctors were confused and Wynne was in and out of hospital having several X-rays, scans and blood tests in an attempt to find the underlying issue. Wynne also had an echocardiogram to test the functioning of her heart, all of which appeared normal. "The doctors were not sure what it was. They thought it could be a low-grade blood cancer," she said. The pain subsided for a little while but soon enough Wynne’s breathing problems returned. "I woke up one day and I couldn't breathe properly. I was just walking into work and I was thinking, 'Gosh, I can't get enough air into my lungs,'" she said. "I couldn't walk from one side of the room to the other without being short of breath. "I went to my GP and had an x-ray done, but nothing showed up.” That’s when Wynne noticed her smartwatch was acting up. "I'd been struggling with my watch for days to try and get the heart rate to show up," she said. The heart rate function of her smartwatch had never been an issue before, but now it was struggling to pick it up. "It was saying you need to change the position to measure a pulse," she said. "My chest was also feeling kind of wobbly for a couple of nights when I went to bed.” Despite her X-ray showing coming up clear, Wynne said she went back to see her GP and told him she was worried something was really wrong. "I just said to him, 'Even my heart rate isn't right, look at my watch,' and I showed it to him.” Wynne’s GP sent her off for an ECG which showed her heart rate had dropped to just 29 beats per minute, a major cause for concern. "As soon as I had the ECG, I had the doctor call me back and say you need to go straight to Box Hill Hospital," she said. "I was told at the hospital that if I hadn't come in I would have just died in my sleep. "I would not have woken up and my heart would have stopped.” Wynne was then fitted with an emergency pacemaker and eventually diagnosed with a rare auto-immune disorder called sarcoidosis, a condition that causes inflammation in different parts of the body, most commonly the lungs. Doctors believe Wynne's sarcoidosis moved from her lungs to her heart, causing her to become extremely ill. She still has the pacemaker in and combined with medication, her health has improved significantly. It’s safe to say Wynne won’t be taking off her smartwatch any time soon. Image credit: Shutterstock

Technology

What the “father of the cell phone” wants you to know

The inventor of the mobile phone has shared his candid opinion about the obsession with smart devices. Martin Cooper, an American engineer dubbed the “father of the cell phone”, invented the very first mobile phone 50 years ago in 1973. Back then, the weighty block of wires and circuits were only used to make calls, a far cry from having the world at your fingertips with smartphones today. Cooper believes that despite all the good that can come from modern technology, the world has become a little obsessed with smart devices. “I am devastated when I see somebody crossing the street and looking at their cell phone. They are out of their minds,” the 94-year-old told AFP from his office in Del Mar, California. “But after a few people get run over by cars, they’ll figure it out,” he joked. Mr Cooper also indulges in the latest gadgets, as he wears an Apple Watch and uses a top-end iPhone, flicking intuitively between his email, photos, YouTube and the controls for his hearing aid. Despite keeping up with all the latest apps, updates and upgrades, he confessed that sometimes it can all seem a little overwhelming. “I will never, ever understand how to use the cell phone the way my grandchildren and great grandchildren do,” he said. “Each generation is going to be smarter … they will learn how to use the cell phone more effectively,” he said. “Humans sooner or later figure it out.” Image credits: Getty Images

Technology

3 smart appliances to make your life easier

It’s time to get digital but don’t worry, all you need is a set of batteries and a charging cord. From vacuuming to mowing the lawn, here are some helpful devices that will make your life easier. 1. <a href="https://www.binglee.com.au/products/irobot-braava-jet-m6-robot-mop-m613200?utm_source=CommissionFactory&utm_medium=referral&cfclick=346864d5d0bf44a58923574774cfdf9e" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Robotic Vacuum</a><a href="https://www.binglee.com.au/products/irobot-braava-jet-m6-robot-mop-m613200?utm_source=CommissionFactory&utm_medium=referral&cfclick=346864d5d0bf44a58923574774cfdf9e"> </a> The concept of a robotic vacuum is not at all new. The Roomba vacuum, arguably the most iconic robot vacuum cleaner out there has been out for over a decade but if you do not own one, do yourself a favour and get one! Or something similar. A robot vacuum will make bending over a thing of the past. They are a self-propelled floor cleaner that uses a rotating brush or brushes to pick up dirt and debris. They work on their own without any human intervention, just press the button and let the little robot clean your home. 2. <a href="https://www.ecovacs.com/au/winbot-window-cleaning-robot/winbot-w1-pro?cfclick=d2d2a30255d642df868b7ab3d6850b67">Robotic Window Cleaner</a> Cleaning windows is one of the most tiresome jobs in terms of cleaning, so rest those arms and get yourself a robotic window cleaner. This revolutionary window cleaner suctions itself onto the glass and gives your windows the gleam they deserve. Once again, no human intervention, just press the button and watch in amazement. 3. <a href="https://www.amazon.com.au/WORX-LANDROID-Robotic-POWERSHARE-Battery/dp/B09V2DQGC1/?tag=homestolove-trx0000057-22">Robotic Lawn Mower</a> If you have a big lawn, then this is the way to go. Lawn mowers that you can ride are certainly a better option than those you hold, but the robotic lawn mower allows you to cut your grass from the comfort of your living room. They’re capable of cutting areas of up to 1000sqm. It measures the size of your lawn, the soil composition and can identify different grass species to make sure it’s cut at the right time based on growth rate and seasonality! Work smarter, not harder. Image credit: Getty

Home Hints & Tips

Why smart people prefer fewer friends

While we know that loneliness can be bad for our health, it seems that not everyone wants to be surrounded by a big group of friends. For those with a higher IQ, in fact, a smaller circle of friends is preferred. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26847844">In their study of wellbeing</a> published in the British Journal of Psychology, researchers looked at what it is that makes people happy. Using a group of 15,000 people aged 18 to 28, they found that those living in more densely populated areas deemed themselves a being less satisfied with their quality of life. They then looked at the number of interactions the people had with their inner circle of friends, and it appeared that the more connections they made, the happier they reported being. However there was a significant exception to this ‘more is better’ approach to friendship. For those with the highest IQs, the correlation went the other way – they were less likely to claim to be satisfied with their quality of life if they were interacting with their friendship group more often. Does this sound familiar? Do you know some very smart people (or you may even be the smart one) who prefer to spend time on their own rather than being out and about with friends? It seems that for the super intelligent, spending time socialising can be seen as a missed opportunity to better oneself. Meaning that instead of going to a party or a film, they would prefer to spend time studying, reading, or partaking in activities that will help them achieve their own personal goals. These are the people who would stay home to study when everyone else was going on a road trip for the weekend. The person who started their own business and spent every spare minute they had on it. They would even miss special occasions as they were so caught up in what they were doing that they didn’t notice the time. So if you are on the receiving end of a ‘no thank you’ to your invitation to socialise from your high IQ pal, now you know not to take it personally. It’s not that they don’t see friendship as valuable and important, they just really value their own time and space to try and reach their goals. Have you noticed that your highly intelligent friends tend to socialise less? Or are you the smart one that tends to pull away in order to focus on your own pursuits? Image credits: Getty Images

Mind

Sports watches could help reduce falls and injuries in elderly people

Falls are a significant health issue in Australia – in <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/injury/falls" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2019-2020</a> they were the largest contributor to hospitalised injuries and the leading cause of deaths due to injury. But people aged 65 and over are more likely to be hospitalised or die due to a fall compared to any other age, so Australian researchers have created an algorithm that could be used to help improve their walking stability and reduce the risk of falls. When paired with a wearable technology device, like a smartwatch, The Walk Watch algorithm accurately measures walking steadiness and speed. The algorithm was developed in a new study <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-20327-z" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">published</a> in Scientific Reports. One of the lead authors of the paper, Lloyd Chan, PhD candidate at Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) and the University of New South Wales Medicine & Health, says this is the first time an algorithm for measuring gait quality has been widely tested in real-world environments and will be made commercially available. “We know that the way people walk is a predictor of their health. For example, people who walk more slowly, infrequently, in smaller steps or for shorter distances are typically more likely to suffer a fall,” says Chan. “Our goal was to capture this data through looking at how people naturally walk in their daily lives – and then test this broadly on over 70,000 individuals.” Digital gait biomarkers are measurements of a person’s gait – such as posture, cadence, walking speed and length of stride – that can provide insight into their overall health, functional decline, and can predict their likelihood to fall. But conventional digital gait biomarker measurements are usually geared towards walking on treadmills in the lab and so they don’t accurately assess gait from walking activities in real-world environments. Also, studies have shown that wearable devices positioned on the lower back and ankle can provide reliable digital gait biomarkers, but these placements can be awkward for the people wearing them. <div> Devices worn on the wrists are much more convenient, but measurements can be less reliable due to arm movements and being situated further from a person’s centre of mass. </div> This study aimed to address both of these issues. In the first stage, 101 participants between 19 and 81 years old, wore the UK Biobank wrist sensor and were recorded performing structured mobility routines in their homes and while walking and running in a lab setting. Using this new data, the researchers then developed a digital gait biomarker extraction algorithm – Watch Walk – that could measure the gait quality of the individuals wearing the wrist sensor device. In the second stage of the study, they then tested the validity of the digital gait biomarkers on 78,822 participants aged 46 to 77 years from the UK Biobank database. Participants wore a sensor on their dominant wrist for seven days, producing a total of 11,646 four-second recordings of movement. These recordings were then classified into ‘walking, running, stationary or unspecified arm’ activities and the Watch Walk algorithm was found to measure these activities with a 93%, 98%, 86%, and 74% precision, respectively. The authors acknowledge that the digital gait biomarkers were not validated in participants who use walking aids, and walking speed accuracy was lower for walks slower than 0.7 metres/second and faster than 1.8 m/s – so further studies are still needed. “Our findings build on advances in wrist-worn accelerometer technology, which have previously been more limited to measurements of step count and sleep,” explains Chan. “As a measurement tool, Watch Walk has so many possibilities. Individuals can gain reliable feedback on their gait and track their improvement over time. “In the future, we hope to be able to analyse how people walk and predict their risk of disease or mortality,” says Chan. A Watch Walk app is currently in development and slated for release in late 2023. <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=217683&title=Sports+watches+could+help+reduce+falls+and+injuries+in+elderly+people" width="1" height="1" /> <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/algorithm-smart-watch-falls-elderly/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/imma-perfetto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Imma Perfetto</a>. Imma Perfetto is a science journalist at Cosmos. She has a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Science Communication from the University of Adelaide. Image: Getty Images </div>

Technology

Producing electricity from your sweat might be key to next wearable technology

Imagine a world where the smart watch on your wrist never ran out of charge, because it used your sweat to power itself. It sounds like science fiction but researchers have figured out how to engineer a <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/biology/bacterial-biofilm/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bacterial biofilm</a> to be able to produce continuous <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/electricity-from-sweaty-fingertips/">electricity fr</a><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/electricity-from-sweaty-fingertips/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">o</a><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/electricity-from-sweaty-fingertips/">m perspiration</a>. They can harvest energy in evaporation and convert it to electricity which could revolutionise wearable electronic devices from personal medical sensors to electronics. The science is in a <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-32105-6#ref-CR7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">new study</a> published in Nature Communications. “The limiting factor of wearable electronics has always been the power supply,” says senior author Jun Yoa, professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass), in the US. “Batteries run down and have to be changed or charged. They are also bulky, heavy, and uncomfortable.” But the surface of our skin is constantly moist with sweat, so a small, thin, clear and flexible biofilm worn like a Band-Aid could provide a much more convenient alternative. The biofilm is made up of a sheet of bacterial cells approximately 40 micrometres thick or about the thickness of a sheet of paper. It’s made up a genetically engineered version of the bacteria Geobacter sulfurreducens to be exact. G. sulfurreducens is a microorganism known to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3209890/#:~:text=Interestingly%2C%20Geobacter%20sulfurreducens%20also%20called,electron%20transfer%20through%20the%20biofilms." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">produce electricity</a> and has been used previously in “<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-019-0173-x" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">microbial fuel cells</a>”. These require the bacteria to be alive, necessitating proper care and constant feeding, but this new biofilm can work continuously because the bacteria are already dead. “It’s much more efficient,” says senior author Derek Lovley, distinguished professor of Microbiology at UMass Amherst. “We’ve simplified the process of generating electricity by radically cutting back on the amount of processing needed. “We sustainably grow the cells in a biofilm, and then use that agglomeration of cells. This cuts the energy inputs, makes everything simpler and widens the potential applications.” The process relies on evaporation-based electricity production – the <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-018-0228-6" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">hydrovoltaic effect</a>. Water flow is driven by evaporation between the solid biofilm and the liquid water, which drives the transport of electrical charges to generate an electrical current. G. sulfurreducens colonies are grown in thin mats which are harvested and then have small circuits etched into them using a laser. Then they are sandwiched between mesh electrodes and finally sealed in a soft, sticky, breathable polymer which can be applied directly onto the skin without irritation. Initially, the researchers tested it by placing the device directly on a water surface, which produced approximately 0.45 volts of electricity continuously. When worn on sweaty skin it produced power for 18 hours, and even non-sweating skin generated a substantial electric output – indicating that the continuous low-level secretion of moisture from the skin is enough to drive the effect. “Our next step is to increase the size of our films to power more sophisticated skin-wearable electronics,” concludes Yao. The team aim to one day be able to power not only single devices, but entire electronic systems, using this biofilm. And because microorganisms can be mass produced with renewable feedstocks, it’s an exciting alternative for producing renewable materials for clean energy powered devices. <img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=200509&title=Producing+electricity+from+your+sweat+might+be+key+to+next+wearable+technology" width="1" height="1" /> <div id="contributors"> <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/electricity-from-sweat-biofilm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/imma-perfetto" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Imma Perfetto</a>. Imma Perfetto is a science writer at Cosmos. She has a Bachelor of Science with Honours in Science Communication from the University of Adelaide. Image: Liu et al., doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-32105-6 </div>

Technology

Not “your average beanie”: Smart Aussie invention to help stroke and trauma patients

A new ‘smart helmet’ packed with tech is being developed to monitor brains of patients who have suffered a stroke, injury or trauma by a team of Australian scientists and developers thanks to funding from the Victorian government. Patients with these kinds of injuries often experience brain swelling and have parts of their skull removed to prevent the brain from pushing on structures such as the brainstem, the part of the brain that regulates the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, <a href="https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/brain-drowns-in-its-own-fluid-after-a-stroke" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which can be fatal</a>. The SkullPro, developed by Anatomics Pty Ltd and the CSIRO, is a customised protective helmet that includes sensors that relay data back to the patient’s neurosurgeon to help them determine the best time to repair the skull. With the helmet, the conditions of patients’ brains can be monitored while they recover at home. Neurosurgeons can monitor their brain function in real time thanks to a ‘brain machine interface’ developed using machine learning, advanced sensors and microelectronics. <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDApuNgj68s/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CDApuNgj68s/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Anatomics (@anatomicsrx)</a> </div> </blockquote> Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced that Anatomics’ development of the helmet would be among 11 Victorian medical technology products funded through the latest round of MedTech grants. “This isn’t your average beanie. This is a Smart Helmet,” Mr Andrews <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DanielAndrewsMP/posts/pfbid02SJfjW1BcypXz8ubJHtQUTPvG349spbWAch4Eib1nguHedjAH1fFhWg4DaPJ9V5kNl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> on social media. “It helps monitor the brains of patients who've had a stroke or suffered traumatic brain injury. It lets doctors know how the brain is healing and helps surgeons decide on the ideal time to perform operations on the skull to give patients the best possible chance of a full recovery. It's been researched, designed and manufactured right here in Bentleigh East by Anatomics. “It's the kind of technology that doesn't just save lives – it changes lives too.” Mr Andrews added that the series of grants would help support “Victorian innovation” and create jobs. “We're backing Anatomics and 11 other Victorian medical technology manufacturers with a new round of MedTech grants. Creating jobs and supporting Victorian innovation,” the post continued. “That's something we can all get behind.” <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8xqoDDnORs/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/B8xqoDDnORs/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Anatomics (@anatomicsrx)</a> </div> </blockquote> The team developing the SkullPro hope it will lay the foundation for research relating to brain injuries, diagnostics, and treatments in Australia. In a <a href="https://www.anatomics.com/au/news/2020/07/24/smart-skullpro.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>, Professor Paul D’Urso, a neurosurgeon and the founder of Anatomics, said the grant would “greatly benefit brain injured patients throughout the world”. "The recently announced funding through MTPConnect’s BioMedTech Horizons program will allow Anatomics and CSIRO to lay the foundations for advanced diagnostics and therapies for decades to come that will greatly benefit brain injured patients through-out the world,” he said. "We should all be proud of the pioneering R&D (Research & Development) that has already occurred in Australia and the opportunities that this grant will deliver to our future." Image: @anatomicsrx (Instagram)

Mind

14 smart small yard landscaping ideas

Leave some space When considering landscaping ideas for a small yard, remember to leave space. It’s easy to overcrowd things and inadvertently create a claustrophobic effect. Here, a seating area has a clear view to the garden, courtesy of a small patch of grass and some unobstructed hardscaping. Layered landscape An easy backyard idea for small yards is to create a layered landscape – just like in nature. Think of a forest with low groundcovers, ferns, shade-tolerant understory shrubs and trees, and the tall overhead trees. You can do the same thing with your small yard landscaping! Use things like groundcovers, bulbs and crevice plants to create a beautiful layered landscape, while maximising your flower bed space! Walls and fences Sure, you want your small yard landscaping to include privacy, so why not utilise surrounding structures like walls and fences? For this small yard idea, vines are the perfect answer – just be sure to pick one that’s not invasive or a garden thug. Vertical gardens A popular trend in small yard ideas is to garden vertically. There are many off-the-shelf products that allow you to grow plants vertically, such as the wall planters seen here. Or you can create something yourself. Either way it creates gardening space out of thin air. Hanging planters Another clever way to maximise space is with hanging planters. Window boxes A more traditional way of maximising gardening space is with window boxes. Naturally, you can attach them beneath your windows. But other small yard ideas include placing them on a porch, around the perimeter of a patio, or hanging from a deck railing. Dwarf plants Growers are continually introducing new cultivars with special characteristics. One of those is a dwarf habit. When considering landscaping ideas, you can grow a tree that matures at 30cm or 25 metres. When you choose the former, you end up with enough space to add companion plants. Columnar plants While you’re considering size and growth characteristics, think about habit as well. Columnar plants, such as this upright pear cultivar, grow straight up. There’s more room to the side, and more light at the bottom for a greater variety of plants. And yet you still get the blooms and the fruit. Win-win! Trailing plants Here’s another shape that will help when looking for landscaping ideas for a small yard. You can run trailing plants down the side of a planter, as seen here, or let them trail from the top of a wall. Either way maximises space and softens a hard surface to help it blend into the landscape. Crevice plants Crevices are ubiquitous to most gardens, so you might as well make use of them. Sedum and other succulents such as Sempervivum are perfect for these spots, which are often on the lean and dry side. They make the space prettier and the hard surfaces less imposing. Narrow spots Along with crevices, most gardens have narrow strips that lack soil and moisture. Rather than fighting the conditions, work with them. One of the small yard ideas you can implement is to plant some tough, vining groundcovers and let them sprawl over the area. Use ivy in shady areas, succulents in sunny spots. A mulch of gravel is a nice low-maintenance addition that keeps plant foliage clean. Containers Let’s not forget containers when thinking about small yard landscaping. They’re more popular than ever – and not just because they maximise gardening space. Containers add greatly to a garden’s character. They allow you to show off your favourite plants. And if you coordinate their colour and arrange them in odd numbers, you create a dashing focal point. Lawn substitute As you saw earlier, a small lawn can be helpful to a small-space garden because it opens up the area and makes it feel less claustrophobic. Well, if you’re not going to be walking on the lawn all the time, you might consider substituting a groundcover. You not only avoid mowing, you also integrate the area into the landscape. With a groundcover, your lawn becomes the garden. Bonsai and miniature garden The smallest yard in the world has room for a garden when the plants are miniaturised. Examples include bonsai, miniature fairy gardens and terrariums. Although usually kept indoors in cold climates, they can holiday outside for the summer in a protected location where they’re not exposed to too much direct sunlight. Written by Luke Miller. This article first appeared in <a href="https://www.readersdigest.co.nz/food-home-garden/gardening-tips/14-smart-small-yard-landscaping-ideas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reader’s Digest</a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, <a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.co.nz/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRA87V" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here’s our best subscription offer.</a> Image: Getty Images

Home & Garden

Young woman on $100k-plus salary shares her spending habits

A woman who earns $104,600 a year has shared how she spends her lavish pay cheque. The 24-year-old producer based in Melbourne, Australia, submitted her salary and breakdown of her spending habits to Smart Women Society. The breakdown is then shared into a short clip on TikTok revealing how much money goes where. After tax, HECS and superannuation, the young woman is left with $5,468 to take home. She also has a side hustle which brings in $1,000 monthly. The woman’s main goal is to set aside at least $60,000 for a house deposit, as well as having a safety emergency fund. A breakdown of her monthly spending habits shows $1,424 on rent, $140 on bills, $40 on her phone, $50 on transport, $90 on the internet, $74 on insurance, $300 on groceries and $160 on psychologist appointments. Once she’s got the important stuff out of the way, the woman is left with $3,728 of which $700 of it goes towards her home savings and $300 to the emergency fund. The only debts she has are a $363-a-month Invisalign treatment and her $26,000 HECS which is automatically taken out from her pay. She is then left with $2,582 for “fun” stuff such as shopping and eating out. Viewers shared their suggestions to the woman saying it would be better to put more toward the home savings. “That's a lot of money spent on 'fun' - I think I would try and save $1500 for my house,” one commented. “You need to live like you actually have a mortgage now and add those extra bills into it because when you have a mortgage you don’t get 2500 a month fun,” another added. “I’d be dropping an extra bit of cash into the house/emergency fund,” someone else shared. Images: Shutterstock

Money & Banking

On the elegance and wry observations of Jeffrey Smart, one of Australia’s favourite painters

Review: Jeffrey Smart, National Gallery of Australia Although I never met him, Jeffrey Smart (1921-2013) was my first art teacher. As “Phideas” on the ABC Radio’s <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argonauts_Club">Argonauts</a> program he told stories of art and artists, explaining ways of seeing to children across Australia. Two things I remember from my childhood listening. The first was the marvel of the <a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/golden-ratio-in-art-328435">Golden Mean</a>, the magical geometric ratio that governs the western tradition of art. The second was a story of <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/rmbt/hd_rmbt.htm">Rembrandt</a> who took his own path as an artist, even though that led to criticism by his peers. After I discovered Phidias’s identity I could see the Golden Mean writ large in his carefully constructed paintings. But Rembrandt? Jeffrey Smart’s painting surfaces meticulously honour the Italian Renaissance and his composition at times has echoes of the metaphysical works of <a href="https://www.artnews.com/feature/giorgio-de-chirico-why-is-he-famous-1202687371/">Giorgio de Chirico</a>. They have nothing in common with Rembrandt’s painterly approach. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437390/original/file-20211214-23-17pb3qm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437390/original/file-20211214-23-17pb3qm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> Jeffrey Smart, Waiting for the train, 1969-70. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 1969, gift of Alcoa World Alumina Australia 2005, © The Estate of Jeffrey Smart. But that wasn’t the point of the story. Smart was speaking in Sydney in about 1960, a time and place when artists were expected to be hard drinking heterosexual men performing painterly abstraction. Smart was not a part of that culture. He had a lifelong allegiance to the classical forms of the Italian <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Quattrocento">quattrocento</a>, especially the exquisite formal geometry of <a href="https://artuk.org/discover/artists/piero-della-francesca-c-14151492">Piero della Francesca</a>. His love of structure, smooth surface, fine detail and his sexuality put him at odds with Australia. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437393/original/file-20211214-13-13ub98q.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437393/original/file-20211214-13-13ub98q.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> Jeffrey Smart, Morning at Savona, 1976, University Art Collection, Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney, Donated through the Alan Richard Renshaw Bequest 1976. © The Estate of Jeffrey Smart. It was only later, years after he retreated to Italy, that his home country came to fully appreciate the elegance of his wry observations. In his old age, this artist once out of tune with his peers, became one of Australia’s most favoured sons. Now, on the centenary of his birth, the National Gallery’s Deborah Hart and Rebecca Edwards have curated a thoughtful and generous reassessment linking Smart to the places and people who nourished him. <h2>Shape, line and colour</h2> It begins in his home town of Adelaide: a city with a well planned urban centre and (back then) a culture of Protestant conformity. The young Smart painted buildings and industrial waste; the way light and shade makes patterns on surfaces; the contrast between clear constructed shapes and fluid humanity. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437392/original/file-20211214-15-19oh8wn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437392/original/file-20211214-15-19oh8wn.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> Jeffrey Smart, Corrugated Gioconda, 1976. National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, purchased 1976, © The Estate of Jeffrey Smart. Local cinemas introduced him to Alfred Hitchcock, whose films use visual clues to imply tension. Hitchcock was famous for inserting himself as an incidental figure into his narratives. I have always wondered if that solitary of a watching man in so many of Smart’s paintings is in part a tribute to the original master of visual suspense. Smart would only ever discuss his work in terms of their formal relationship between shape, line and colour. This insistence on formalism goes back to his early studies in Adelaide and the influence of the modernist painter <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorrit_Black">Dorrit Black</a> (1891-1951), who had returned to Adelaide after some years in France. The curators have included her <a href="https://searchthecollection.nga.gov.au/object?uniqueId=29974">House-roofs and flowers</a> which hangs beside Smart’s early structured <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/collection/works/436.2001/">Seated Nude</a>. It is easy to see the connection. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437428/original/file-20211214-17-1eqwvss.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437428/original/file-20211214-17-1eqwvss.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> Jeffrey Smart, Keswick siding, 1945. Tarntanya/Adelaide. Oil on canvas. 62 x 72.1 cm. Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney Gift of Charles B Moses 1982 193.1982 There is a sense of wanting to escape in some paintings of his Adelaide period, such as Keswick Siding. This is less so after he moved to Sydney where he found, despite his unfashionable devotion to precision and classical form, his art was accepted as being a part of the <a href="https://www.portrait.gov.au/portraits/2008.24/the-merioola-group">Charm School</a>, which it was not. Living and working in Sydney, he also became greatly admired as a teacher at the National Art School and a broadcaster. <h2>Humour and friends</h2> Even the most structured works of Smart’s maturity include visual jokes and a human touch. In Holiday, 1971, a relentless pattern of balconies and windows is disrupted by the small figure of a woman, lazing in the sun. He always claimed he introduced people in his paintings of buildings to give a sense of scale, an old artist’s trick. I am not sure how that works in the Portrait of Clive James, unless it was to remind the subject of his significance in the scheme of things. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437429/original/file-20211214-21-16vusye.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437429/original/file-20211214-21-16vusye.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> Jeffrey Smart. Portrait of Clive James. 1991–92 Tuscany, Italy. Oil on canvas. 109 x 90.4 cm. Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney Purchased with funds provided by the Art Gallery Society of New South Wales 1992 © The Estate of Jeffrey Smart Photo: AGNSW 276.1992 Smart’s relocation to Italy in 1963 saw a lightening of his palette, and a joyous celebration of light with the contrasting geometry of the blocky shapes of the modern world and the human scale of the old. There is a running theme of visual wit, but only for those who notice. Waiting for the train (1969-70) has echoes of compositions by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piero_della_Francesca">Piero della Francesca</a>, albeit in gloomy tones. His portrait of Germaine Greer places her against an impastoed wall, a surprising rough painterly texture which could either be a comment on the subject’s character or a riposte to those who considered he was lacking in technical skill as a painter. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437430/original/file-20211214-19-ptwv8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437430/original/file-20211214-19-ptwv8f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> Jeffrey Smart. Portrait of Germaine Greer. 1984 Tuscany, Italy. Oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas. 96 x 120 cm. Private collection Some of the most satisfying works are Smart’s portraits of friends, and here his humour comes into play. The scholarly writer David Malouf is depicted as a workman in overalls, holding a twisting orange pipe. Margaret Olley is at the Louvre, a place she loved, but placed in front of a row of anonymous wooden screens. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437431/original/file-20211214-23-at8gxc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437431/original/file-20211214-23-at8gxc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> Jeffrey Smart. Portrait of David Malouf. 1980 Tuscany, Italy. Oil and synthetic polymer paint on canvas. 100 x 100 cm. The State Art Collection, The Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth. Purchased 1983 © The Estate of Jeffrey Smart 1983/0P13 Most fascinating of all is The listeners, 1965 where a young man lies in a field of grass, overseen by a surveilling radar. The head is a portrait of Smart’s friend, the art critic Paul Haefliger who had retreated from Australia to Majorca. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437432/original/file-20211214-21-nj1p6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437432/original/file-20211214-21-nj1p6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> Jeffrey Smart. The listeners. 1965 Rome, Italy. Oil on canvas. 91.5 x 71 cm. Art Gallery of Ballarat, Ballarat. The William, Rene and Blair Ritchie Collection. Bequest of Blair Ritchie 1998 © The Estate of Jeffrey Smart 1998.23 It shows visual contrasts between modern technology and nature, between the golden grass, red radar and dark sky and (for those in the know) between the young body of the model and the head of the ageing Haefliger. Smart’s portraits rarely focus on their subject. The one exception is The two-up game (Portrait of Ermes), 2008, who became Smart’s life partner in 1975. His calm face is backgrounded by the solid geometry of containers on one side and the fluidity of people playing a game of chance, on the other. In formal terms, his image in the foreground balances the composition. This also seems to be the meaning, the reason for it all. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437433/original/file-20211214-15-1hmeyhq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/437433/original/file-20211214-15-1hmeyhq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="" /></a> Jeffrey Smart. The two-up game (Portrait of Ermes). 2006 Tuscany, Italy. Oil on canvas. 86.8 x 158.4 cm. TarraWarra Museum of Art, Healesville. Purchased 2006 2006.011 Jeffrey Smart is at the National Gallery of Australia until May 15 2022<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/171109/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/joanna-mendelssohn-8133">Joanna Mendelssohn</a>, Principal Fellow (Hon), Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne. Editor in Chief, Design and Art of Australia Online, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/on-the-elegance-and-wry-observations-of-jeffrey-smart-one-of-australias-favourite-painters-171109">original article</a>. Image: Jeffrey Smart, Margaret Olley in the Louvre Museum. 1994–95 Tuscany, Italy. Oil on canvas 67 x 110 cm Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney.

Art

A smart way to monitor melanoma

<div> <div class="copy"> Monitoring for a recurrent <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/science/biology/inside-a-melanoma-cell/" target="_blank">melanoma </a>may be as simple as using a smartphone, according to Australian and New Zealand <a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamadermatol.2021.4704" target="_blank">research,</a> published in JAMA Dermatology. This may provide feasible, patient-led follow-up care to monitor whether melanomas return. “People who have had one melanoma have an increased risk of developing an additional one, especially during the first few years,” says Professor Monika Janda of the University of Queensland, who was involved in the study. <h2>Pilot study shows promise</h2> A small pilot study of 100 patients found that using a skin-checker app and a magnifying device attached to a smartphone provided a safe way to monitor signs of cancer coming back after melanoma is removed. “We gave patients special devices for their mobile phones, which allows them to take really precise photographs of skin lesions,” says Janda. “These are all patients who have had melanoma before.” This group used the smartphone app at home, and they found more signs of melanoma compared to people who went in for hospital surveillance “We found that there were quite a number of additional signs found by people themselves at home, which was really interesting,” says Janda. <h2>Less travel for melanoma patients</h2> Normally, patients need to travel to their doctor or hospitals for surveillance, which can be difficult and time-consuming. The smartphone method provides a feasible alternative that could be conducted at home. “It could save some of the current visits to the doctor that people do regularly after they’ve had a melanoma,” says Janda, “That could be particularly beneficial for people who live far away from their treatment centre and have to undertake extensive travel to reach them.” As this was a pilot study, a larger, randomised clinical trial is required to see how this monitoring would relate to more patients in the long term. “It’s a pilot study, so it’s not yet definite. But we’re currently undertaking a bigger study,” says Janda. Image credits: Getty Images </div> <div id="contributors"> This article was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/health/body-and-mind/a-smart-way-to-monitor-melanoma/" target="_blank">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and was written by Deborah Devis. </div> </div>

Body

Jean Smart’s touching victory tribute

The 2021 Emmy Awards saw legendary actress Jean Smart win her fourth Emmy for her critically-acclaimed leading role in Hacks. The award is Smart’s first for a leading role, following wins in the supporting comedy actress and guest comedy actress categories for Samantha Who? and Frasier. Smart accepted the award to a standing ovation, dedicating it to her late husband Richard Gilliland. “Before I say anything else, I have to acknowledge my late husband who passed away six months yesterday,” Smart said. “I would not be here without him, and without his kind of putting his career on the back burner so I could take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities that I have had.” The 70-year-old attended the award night with her 13-year-old son Forrest, who she shares with her late husband. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0; width: undefinedpx; height: undefinedpx; max-height: 100%;" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUCBhMmLjMQ/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CUCBhMmLjMQ/" target="_blank">Shared post</a> on Time </div> </blockquote> <div style="position: absolute; width: 92%; bottom: 2px; left: 0; right: 0; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; color: #000; text-align: center;"> Gravity - <a href="https://arablionz.cc/">arablionz</a> Full Episodes and Clips - TV.com </div> Prior to his unexpected passing from a “brief illness”, Gilliland was due to work with Smart on a movie directed by Tate Taylor. Gilliland was also honoured in the Memoriam section of Hacks. “He was a great dad, and he made me laugh every day,” Smart told Variety. “Him passing away was just not ever even a thought. And it’s changed every moment of my everyday life; every atom of my existence I feel like is altered. “But I just want people to know how much he’s sacrificed for me to be where I am, and to get the opportunities that I’ve gotten and let his career kind of take a back seat to help take care of our home and our kids. And it kills me he didn’t get the chances that I got, because he was so talented. I was very lucky when I met him.” The star was nominated for a second award this year, for her role as Helen Fahey in Mare of Easttown. Smart also acknowledged that she was bucking the norm following her recent string of hit roles. “I certainly realise that’s not the norm for most actresses of my vintage,” she told the publication. She added that “it was pure luck” that both Hacks and Mare of Easttown debuted a month apart. “The fact that I had two roles that were such good ones, and kind of worlds apart, coming out at the same time - actors never get that opportunity,” she said. Image: Getty Images

Older people slower but smarter than young’uns

<div> <div class="copy"> Human intelligence is wired to peak at different stages of life – and it turns out the brain saves some goodies for the golden years, American scientists found. The ability to think quickly and recall information, known as “fluid intelligence”, was long thought to reach its pinnacle at around 20 years old, followed by a slow, unrelenting decline. But the picture’s more complicated than that. A pair of researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Massachusetts General Hospital collected online IQ and memory tests from more than 48,000 participants, which measured around 30 aspects of intelligence, including digit memorisation, visual search and assembling puzzles. “We were mapping when these cognitive abilities were peaking, and we saw there was no single peak for all abilities. The peaks were all over the place,” study co-author Joshua Hartshorne described. Where raw speed in processing information peaked around the age of graduating high school, short-term memory improved until age 25 and didn’t decline until age 35. But the ability to evaluate other people’s emotional states didn’t peak until the 40s and 50s, the data showed. And the most stellar performers in vocabulary intelligence were participants in their late 60s or early 70s. “At any given age, you’re getting better at some things, you’re getting worse at some other things, and you’re at a plateau at some other things,” Hartshorne explained. “There’s probably not one age at which you’re peak on most things, much less all of them.” The authors attribute these late intelligent blooms to today’s better education, more jobs that require reading and better intellectual stimulation for older people. How the brain rewires intelligence at a molecular level remains unclear, but previous studies indicated changes in gene expression and brain structure could play a role, the authors point out. “You see these lifespan patterns that we don’t know what to make of,” said study co-author Laura Germine. “The brain seems to continue to change in dynamic ways through early adulthood and middle age.” The researchers are continuing their studies using the online quizzes, now with added brain-probing tasks designed to test social and emotional intelligence, language skills and executive function. “We took the existing theories that were out there and showed that they’re all wrong. The question now is: What is the right one? To get to that answer, we’re going to need to run a lot more studies and collect a lot more data,” Hartshorne said. Want to see how your own brain stacks up? Take the team’s tests at <a rel="noopener" href="http://gameswithwords.org/" target="_blank">gameswithwords.org</a> and <a rel="noopener" href="http://testmybrain.org/" target="_blank">testmybrain.org</a>. Image credit: Shutterstock This article was originally published on <a rel="noopener" href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/social-sciences/older-people-slower-but-smarter-than-younguns/" target="_blank">cosmosmagazine.com</a> and written by Viviane Richter. </div> </div>

Retirement Life

"Grief hits us like tsunamis": Heartbreak for Richard E Grant

Actor Richard E. Grant has shared how his heart is breaking following the death of Joan Washington, his wife of 35 years. Grant said he was overwhelmed by the support he received from fans, fellow actors, and loved ones. “[We’re] overwhelmed by the messages of love, condolence & support we have received from loved ones and strangers from all over the world and the appreciation from actors Joan taught over the years,” the Posh Nosh star wrote on Twitter. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Overwhelmed by the messages of love, condolence & support we have received from loved ones & strangers from all over the world & the appreciation from actors Joan taught over the years. Grief hits us like tsunamis as we try and put one foot in front of the other without her 💔 <a href="https://t.co/VDhpFQwmrh">pic.twitter.com/VDhpFQwmrh</a> — Richard E. Grant (@RichardEGrant) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardEGrant/status/1434221078696562691?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 4, 2021</a></blockquote> “Grief hits us like tsunamis as we try and put one foot in front of the other without her.” Grant announced his wife’s passing on Twitter on Friday, sharing a video of him dancing with her to a song by the Platters. “ONLY YOU! Joan - Love of my Life & Giver of Life to our daughter Olivia,” he captioned the clip. “Our hearts are broken with the loss of your life last night. 35 years married & 38 together.” “To be truly known and seen by you, is your immeasurable gift. Do not forget us, sweet Monkee-mine.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> 🎵ONLY YOU!🎵Joan - Love of my Life & Giver of Life to our daughter Olivia. Our hearts are broken with the loss of your Life last night. 35 years married & 38 together. To be truly known and seen by you, is your immeasurable gift. Do not forget us, sweet Monkee-mine 💔💔💔💔💔💔 <a href="https://t.co/YcdVAVK1ja">pic.twitter.com/YcdVAVK1ja</a> — Richard E. Grant (@RichardEGrant) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichardEGrant/status/1433723682870997001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 3, 2021</a></blockquote> Washington worked as a voice and dialect coach with many Hollywood stars during her long career. She worked with Anne Hathaway, Cate Blanchett, Jessica Chastain, and Vanessa Redgrace, as well as with actors on both Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones. Hollywood stars have since shared their tributes to the leading dialect coach, including Chastain. “My heart is broken,” she wrote on Twitter. “Joan Washington had such a profound impact on me, yes, as an artist, but mostly as a woman. Every day I was excited to go to work and giggle with Joan. “She was a barometer of truth with a wicked sense of humour. I loved her very much.” Mad Max and The Favourite actor Nicholas Hoult shared a message thanking Washington for her kindness. “I can never thank her enough for all her kindness, the lessons she taught me and the memories I’ll cherish,” he said. Comic and actress Dawn French also paid tribute to Washington. “Joan Washington will ALWAYS be remembered by those of us who knew her and were taught by her, as a PHENOMENAL WOMAN. So much love to Richard E. Grant and all the family,” French said. Image: Richard E. Grant / Instagram

Family & Pets

Travel the smart way with MediclAlert

As many older Australians and New Zealanders are fulfilling their desire to travel overseas or cross country, there are greater risks for those with medical conditions if they’re not properly prepared. Visiting loved ones over the holiday season can take some planning, especially if you need to travel. Whether you’re travelling to see friends abroad, going on a beach holiday or staying with family during the festivities, being smart about how you travel will save you a headache in the long run. Regardless if you’re setting off halfway across the world or meeting a friend for coffee around the corner, those with medical conditions can find it hard to step out of their comfort zone when it comes to travel. As many older Australians are fulfilling their desire to travel overseas or cross country, there are greater risks for those with medical conditions if they’re not properly prepared. Having the essentials when travelling, such as your <a href="https://www.medicalert.org.au/?utm_source=readers-digest&utm_medium=MREC&utm_campaign=readers-digest-2019">MedicAlert</a> ID can help if this go wrong, no matter where you in the world. Check off your necessities Travel insurance can offer peace of mind for those who are going on trips as it covers lost baggage, cancelled flights and hospital fees. However, while insuring your possessions is important, it’s your health and wellbeing that should be at the top of your priority list. You may create a travel checklist, with your clothing, shoes, toiletries and documents, but without accounting for your MedicAlert ID – health and safety may be left up to chance. It’s impossible to carry a briefcase with any medical or health history around with you on holiday, or even just the names and dosages of your medications may be difficult to remember if there are more than one. During the rush of an emergency or if a health issue occurs – it’s unlikely you’ll be able to let doctors or nurses know all of your conditions, medications and allergies, especially if you’re in pain. Whether you’re in a country with language barriers or you’re unable to speak, health professionals or medical personnel can quickly and safely determine your needs; with training in searching for body-worn medical identification during an emergency, your information is readily available to them during moments of chaos. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.3953488372093px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843887/medicalalert-2-um.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/51aa7a20d8c44905818e0da2b0af4353" /> Make memories without worrying With MedicAlert’s ID being recognised globally you can rest assured that no matter where you travel, your family or loved ones are looked after. When severe allergies come into the mix, it seems easier to avoid places where miscommunication is likely to occur, but with our 24/7 emergency response service and the ability to easily access health records on the go from medical professionals, you can have peace of mind that you’re safe anywhere around the world. Your schedule may be full of high-energy activities and jam-packed with adventures, and while it’s a blast planning your trip, the thought of accidents happening naturally comes to mind. With your updated medications, implants and allergies in one place, your mind is at ease if anything were to happen. Protecting members in Australia for almost 50 years, MedicAlert is your safety net when travelling; spend less time worrying about emergencies and more time dreaming about relaxing on your holiday. If you have suffered from an injury or medical implication, you shouldn’t let fear stop you from going to the places you love. Just like 80-year-old MedicAlert member Lois Job, who recently put her ID bracelet to the test when she fainted after lunch with her husband and daughter at a local café. Lois is just one example of a member who hasn’t let previous health incidents stop her from socialising. Not letting fear rule her life, Lois says “if anything goes wrong anywhere, they’ve [MedicAlert] got my back. I love going out with my friends and family, and I don’t want to have to give that up because I’m scared.” Lois explains that a lot could have gone wrong during her incident as she is a Type 2 Diabetic, has suffered a pulmonary embolism and has allergies to a number of drugs, as well as complications relating to number of her medications. As a member at MedicAlert – a not for profit organisation – for 21 years, Lois reiterates “this tiny little thing around my wrist gives me the extra strength and reassurance to keep doing what I love. I’ve been telling every man and his dog to join MedicAlert, and finally I could tell them exactly why.” Adapting to the travel bug While you are enjoying the holidays with family and friends, your health or medical conditions don’t take a break because you are. Travelling over the busy summer period can take a toll on your health while changes in weather, time zones, new cuisines or a sudden decrease in your medication could result in an incident. Whether you’re susceptible to driver fatigue, increase your levels of exercise, changes in diet or exposure to new insects, emergencies happen when you least expect. In this instance, medical personnel will immediately check for your medical conditions and access more detailed information by calling the 24-hour emergency number engraved on your MedicAlert ID. No matter what time of year you are planning on travelling, being smart about travel means taking precautions such as having enough medication to last you the trip and updating your details online. While healthcare providers will assist you in emergencies taking care of yourself is still your responsibility when travelling. It’s easy to jam-pack your trip with activities while in the planning stage, but in reality, you should know your physical limitations. Going over the top with back-to-back flights, activities, day trips and sightseeing can stop you from truly enjoying your time away. Travelling takes a lot of energy out of even the fittest people; knowing how you cope with drastic changes and increased movement will allow you time to breathe and soak it all in. Final thoughts If you’re spending the holidays abroad or close to home, having your custom engraved MedicAlert ID will offer peace of mind as health professionals or medical personnel can access your secure electronic health record during the moments that matter the most. MedicAlert wishes you and your family a healthy, safe and joyful festive season. <a href="https://www.medicalert.org.au/?utm_source=readers-digest&utm_medium=MREC&utm_campaign=readers-digest-2019">This is sponsored content brought to you in conjunction with MedicAlert.</a> Images: Reader’s Digest This article originally appeared on <a href="mailto:https://www.readersdigest.com.au/travel/travel-the-smart-way-with-medicalert">Reader’s Digest</a>

Domestic Travel

New ‘smart’ insulin could revolutionise Type 1 diabetes treatment

For the 15 in every 100,000 people with Type 1 diabetes, living with the condition often involves balancing diet, exercise, and insulin therapy to keep blood sugar levels in a normal range. Though there are a plethora of solutions being developed to help those with diabetes live more easily, a new approach has focused on insulin itself. Dr Michael Weiss, a biochemist from the School of Medicine at Indiana University, has worked with colleagues to tweak the structure of insulin so it responds to the presence of a simple sugar molecule. <img style="width: 500px; height:231px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7843122/image-for-release_weiss_pnas.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/411d3753b46448bb978e1922daac8560" /> Image: IU School of Medicine The researchers have utilised a feature already built into insulin’s structure - a “hinge” that enables the molecule to function when open and keeps it stable while closed. What the study found The experiments performed by Dr Weiss and his team used the carbohydrate fructose to manipulate insulin, so that it would only be ‘switched on’ by the presence of a certain amount of sugar, causing it to activate a sample of cells derived from the liver. Though the experiments were more confirmation that the concept would be viable than an actual treatment, it would theoretically work for an insulin shaped to activate in the presence of glucose. Why it matters Weiss envisions a future where people don’t have to worry about their blood sugar falling too low (hypoglycemia) or too high (hyperglycemia), which can result in symptoms such as delirium, convulsions, blindness, or strokes. “The promise of this kind of ‘smart’ insulin is that it would transform diabetes care, so people wouldn’t have to worry anymore,” Weiss <a rel="noopener" href="https://medicine.iu.edu/news/2021/07/Synthetic-hinge-could-hold-key-to-revolutionary-smart-insulin-therapy" target="_blank">said</a>. “With our invention, we envision that when the blood sugar goes too low, the hinge would close,” he explained. Though a lot needs to happen before this invention is incorporated into treatments, it could help affected individuals be able to manage their sugar levels and improve their quality of life. This research was published in <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.pnas.org/content/118/30/e2103518118" target="_blank">PNAS</a>. Image: IU School of Medicine, Getty

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