News by Subject Social & Behavior

Medicaid does not cover hearing aids in nearly half the country. Coverage greatly varies in the states where hearing health benefits are available. About 25% are required to have at least 'moderate' hearing loss, which is the inability to hear regular conversation.

Many in rural Africa believe disability is caused by supernatural forces, curses and as 'punishment'. The stigma leaves disabled people vulnerable to neglect and abuse - with sexual abuse reported by 90 percent those with learning difficulties. Disabled children are often kept 'locked up' at home. But the more that communities come into contact with disability, the more awareness grows. Medical explanations are beginning to emerge, with increasing numbers of families choosing medical advice over a witchdoctor.

University of Houston researchers in the Department of Health and Human Performance are helping patients with Parkinson's disease regain stable balance and confidence in performing daily activities in their own homes. A research team is developing the Smarter Balance System (SBS), a smartphone-based biofeedback rehabilitation system that guides patients through a series of balance exercises using wearable technology.

A glove fitted with wearable electronics can translate the American Sign Language alphabet and then wirelessly transmit the text for display on electronic devices -- all for less than $100, according to a study published July 12, 2017 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Timothy O'Connor and Darren Lipomi from University of California, San Diego, US, and colleagues.

Researchers have created energy-recycling stairs that store a user's energy during descent and return energy to the user during ascent, making walking up and down stairs easier. When going up, the stairs give people a boost by releasing the stored energy, making it 37 percent easier on the knee than using conventional stairs.