SYDNEY – Researchers from Australia’s University of Queensland developed a smartphone app that could provide a new way to aid stroke survivors on their path to recovery.
The app called LifeCHAT would put world-leading research and treatment methods at the fingertips of thousands of stroke victims, their carers, and medical professionals.
The project has almost AU$400,000 Australian dollars (about US$290,000) in funding from the Medical Research Future Fund, a program announced by the federal government in June that funds “ground-breaking medical research projects around Australia.”
Co-investigator on the project Gopal Sihn first had the idea for the app while he was recovering from a stroke and had no way to track his recovery and recognize his progress.
“LifeCHAT will allow stroke survivors to set goals, receive engaging therapy and monitor their own progress — a bit like having a fitness tracker for communication,” Sihn said.
“We hope if stroke survivors can see and track their own improvements, they will be motivated to stick with their therapy.”
Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed that as of 2018, 387,000 Australians had experienced a stroke at some time in their lives, and many survivors suffer from aphasia which causes difficulty speaking, understanding, reading, and writing.
Dr. Sarah Wallace from the University of Queensland’s School of Health said the app would incorporate speech-to-text software that would allow stroke-affected users to communicate with family members and their speech pathologists.
“LifeCHAT will use geo-location mapping to track how social interactions are going and daily questions will prompt responses about experiences and feelings,” Wallace said.
“This information will be used to produce visual graphs to link goals with progress.”
Once developed, LifeCHAT would first be trialed in the university’s Queensland Aphasia Research Center “Tech Hub”, a center that allows consumers and clinicians to trial technology solutions.
Wallace told Xinhua that they would be co-developing the app with stroke survivors over the next 18 months, and trials were expected to begin in about six months,
“In terms of implementing it, we will be looking at rehabilitation services around the country,” said Wallace. (Xinhua) – bny
