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Product cost
£ 2.99
Tags
Android app Under £ 5Get the app
Medivoice on the Google Play Store
iOS verion coming soon!
Get a guide to the keyboard
Download a print-friendly guide to the Medivoice keyboard
The story of the app
Jaspal enjoyed a busy social life. When she was struck down with motor neurone disease, she was determined to continue to attend her friend's social events and entertaining people at her home. When Jaspal lost her voice, she was given communication aids by the local hospital; some simple and some using technology. These solutions were slow and tiring to use as well as being bulky for going out. It was hard to always see what you are doing on the device, even in bright sunshine or in low light conditions.
Jaspal's Solution
Initially, Jaspal would make the mouth movement of a letter and we would write it down to make words and sentences. With 26 letters it was difficult for us and frustrating for Jaspal to accurately identify each letter. Jaspal solved this by using the number keypad of a mobile phone. She only had a choice of 8 numbers to tell us and predictive text would quickly tell us which word she wanted. A phone is portable, unobtrusive and well understood by most people.
User guide
After opening the app, the user makes the mouth movement of the number that corresponds to the first letter they want to communicate. After each letter the user should blink once to confirm the right number had been input; blink once for yes and twice for no. Repeat this process until the word is complete. A possible list of complete words are displayed on the screen. Press on the correct word to start the next. For example to spell "hello" is 43556.
The app comes with a 4,000 word dictionary but there are always new words or names that don't exist. In order to add a new word to the dictionary, press the number corresponding to the first letter and keep pressing until the correct letter appears. Repeat for all letters of the word until the word is complete. Highlight the word by pressing and holding on the word. After 3 seconds an option will appear to "Add to dictionary". Press this button and the new word will be stored.
Once a sentence is complete, there is an option to share via text message. When ready press the share icon and the message will be copied to your default texting application ready to be sent.
Personal healthcare passport
In the event of an incident, it is essential to communicate some basic medical information to doctors and paramedics to receive the correct treatment. The personal healthcare passport holds the basic information required by medical staff such as illnesses, medicines and allergies. The app also holds lifestyle and capability information in the event that the patient is admitted to hospital. From "Do I need help to sit up in bed" to "What tv shows do I enjoy", This information helps nursing staff understand the needs of the patient, making the patients stay in hospital as pleasant as possible.
