Tidewell Hospice offers hospice and end-of-life care in Bradenton and Sarasota, among other locations in the region.
How to help: Tidewell Hospice volunteers offer various types of support, including patient care, writing about legacies, running errands, food shopping and more, said Irene Henderson, administrative director of volunteer services.
"They provide respite for family members so that they can get away and have some time for themselves to recharge or attend special events," said David Glaser, director of Tidewell's communications. Volunteers sit vigil with patients who are actively dying. In short, we couldn’t do what we do without the support of our many dedicated volunteers."
There’s also a complementary services department where volunteers do expressive art projects, she said, which includes making CDs, DVDs, painting, or dictating stories so volunteers can write books or poetry for them.
“At Christmas time, we’ll make Christmas cards to give to their children or help make gifts,” Henderson said.
The program has pet therapy, humor (clowning), music, massage, reiki, horticulture therapy, aroma therapy and expressive arts, Glaser said.
"We have volunteers who help in our offices and provide administrative assistance. Volunteers serve as greeters in all seven of our hospice houses. We have many volunteers who visit patients in their homes, in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and hospice houses," he said.
All that requires supplies, which is where the need kicks in.
All those supplies — pens, colored pens, pencils, paper — we rely on donations of actual material or money for materials for the patients,” Henderson said. “Anything you can think of, our staff and volunteers can help make projects for our patients.”
These projects help distract patients from the problems they face, she said.
“They can say, ‘I forgot about my pain and nausea that I had for the last hour,’” Henderson said.
Oils and lotions are needed for caring touch and massage, she added.
Tidewell also has Tidewell Honors where the organization hosts pinning ceremonies to recognize veterans who are patients, she said.
For cash/check donations, put “Please donate to Complimentary Services” in the memo line to fund these programs, Henderson said.
Or send donations with attention to Irene Henderson to fund the volunteer programs and supplies. Envelopes are available at each site to submit donations, too.
The Hospice House has a Treasures Thrift Shop in Brandeton’s Pebbles Springs Plaza at 5917 Manatee Ave. W. The store funds Tidewell and patient programs as these extra programs do not receive Medicare or third-party payer funding, she said.
“We’re always looking for donations from dishes to clothes to furniture to books, CDs and jewelry,” she said.
2011年12月26日星期一
2011年12月6日星期二
Refined ride with a thirst for efficiency
Completely redesigned for the 2011 model year, the 2012 edition of Explorer is the first Ford to offer the new 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine.
Providing V6-like engine power in an eco-friendly, fuel-efficient smaller engine, the EcoBoost technology adds a new dimension to the Explorer’s development.
Last year’s redesign transformed Explorer from being a heavy separate-frame truck chassis utility vehicle into a new lighter, more rigid unibody Explorer. It’s still a full-sized utility vehicle and Ford also added a supple fully-independent suspension, a superb new all-wheel-drive system option and seating for up to seven occupants as standard.
A 3.5-litre Ti-VCT V6 engine is the base power unit and provides 20-per-cent better fuel economy than the previous generation V6. Power output is an impressive 290 horsepower and 255 lbs. -ft of torque and it’s mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission.
Compact, lightweight, fuel-efficient and powerful, the new 2.0-litre EcoBoost is the first in a new series of high-efficiency gasoline engines that come with direct fuel injection, an intercooled turbocharger and dual variable camshaft timing. It can deliver 240 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 270 lbs.-ft of torque at 3,000 rpm, plus it runs on regular gasoline.
The turbocharger harnesses energy normally wasted in the engine’s exhaust and uses it to pressure air going in to the engine. This significantly increases the engine’s power output per litre and the usual disadvantages of boosting (turbo lag and knock) are essentially eliminated by direct injection and its electronic engine management.
Disappointingly, however, the EcoBoost engine version of Explorer costs $1,000 more than a same trim V6 edition. Even at today’s inflated fuel prices the cost difference
would still pay for well over 700 litres of gasoline.
The new fully-automated optional Terrain Management System (all-wheel-drive) replaces the traditional transfer case drive system with two shift levers. Instead, a simple-to-use large rotary dial allows the driver to select from four different drive settings: normal, sand, mud and snow.
There are three Explorer trim levels: Base, XLT and Limited. My test Explorer was a top trim level Limited Edition with the EcoBoost engine, navigation and luxury seating and technology packages. The extra features increased its price to $48,499.
Compared to the 2010 Explorer, the new 2012 model is 10 cm (four inches) longer, 13 cm (five inches) wider, 45 kg (100 lbs.) lighter and it’s more aerodynamic. Wide and beefy, it’s still nicely proportioned with its short body overhangs giving it a secure stance. New styling features include a clamshell hood and blacked-out roof support pillars. Large headlights blend nicely into the fenders and give it a softer yet still square nose and there’s a flexible lower front air dam (black) under the front bumper. In the rear it has a small lip spoiler on the top of the liftgate and LED tail lights.
The revised MyFord Touch system comes with a colour touch-screen that replaces many of the traditional vehicle switches, knobs and displays. It can also be personalized to an individual driver’s taste. Although now simpler to use, with larger and clearer icons, it’s quite sensitive to touch, which makes it easy to unintentionally change a setting. Also, I don’t understand why a straightforward to use seat-heater switch now has to be accessed through a screen icon. The second and third row seating positions both provide good leg and head room. When cargo space is needed, power folding third row seats and the quick-fold second row seats (that bounce back up with the pull of a lever) are at your disposal. With all the rear seats folded, there’s a whopping 2,288 litres (80.7 cubic feet) of rear cargo space.
Providing V6-like engine power in an eco-friendly, fuel-efficient smaller engine, the EcoBoost technology adds a new dimension to the Explorer’s development.
Last year’s redesign transformed Explorer from being a heavy separate-frame truck chassis utility vehicle into a new lighter, more rigid unibody Explorer. It’s still a full-sized utility vehicle and Ford also added a supple fully-independent suspension, a superb new all-wheel-drive system option and seating for up to seven occupants as standard.
A 3.5-litre Ti-VCT V6 engine is the base power unit and provides 20-per-cent better fuel economy than the previous generation V6. Power output is an impressive 290 horsepower and 255 lbs. -ft of torque and it’s mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission.
Compact, lightweight, fuel-efficient and powerful, the new 2.0-litre EcoBoost is the first in a new series of high-efficiency gasoline engines that come with direct fuel injection, an intercooled turbocharger and dual variable camshaft timing. It can deliver 240 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 270 lbs.-ft of torque at 3,000 rpm, plus it runs on regular gasoline.
The turbocharger harnesses energy normally wasted in the engine’s exhaust and uses it to pressure air going in to the engine. This significantly increases the engine’s power output per litre and the usual disadvantages of boosting (turbo lag and knock) are essentially eliminated by direct injection and its electronic engine management.
Disappointingly, however, the EcoBoost engine version of Explorer costs $1,000 more than a same trim V6 edition. Even at today’s inflated fuel prices the cost difference
would still pay for well over 700 litres of gasoline.
The new fully-automated optional Terrain Management System (all-wheel-drive) replaces the traditional transfer case drive system with two shift levers. Instead, a simple-to-use large rotary dial allows the driver to select from four different drive settings: normal, sand, mud and snow.
There are three Explorer trim levels: Base, XLT and Limited. My test Explorer was a top trim level Limited Edition with the EcoBoost engine, navigation and luxury seating and technology packages. The extra features increased its price to $48,499.
Compared to the 2010 Explorer, the new 2012 model is 10 cm (four inches) longer, 13 cm (five inches) wider, 45 kg (100 lbs.) lighter and it’s more aerodynamic. Wide and beefy, it’s still nicely proportioned with its short body overhangs giving it a secure stance. New styling features include a clamshell hood and blacked-out roof support pillars. Large headlights blend nicely into the fenders and give it a softer yet still square nose and there’s a flexible lower front air dam (black) under the front bumper. In the rear it has a small lip spoiler on the top of the liftgate and LED tail lights.
The revised MyFord Touch system comes with a colour touch-screen that replaces many of the traditional vehicle switches, knobs and displays. It can also be personalized to an individual driver’s taste. Although now simpler to use, with larger and clearer icons, it’s quite sensitive to touch, which makes it easy to unintentionally change a setting. Also, I don’t understand why a straightforward to use seat-heater switch now has to be accessed through a screen icon. The second and third row seating positions both provide good leg and head room. When cargo space is needed, power folding third row seats and the quick-fold second row seats (that bounce back up with the pull of a lever) are at your disposal. With all the rear seats folded, there’s a whopping 2,288 litres (80.7 cubic feet) of rear cargo space.
2011年11月23日星期三
Taiwan Wins European Satellite Navigation Competition
The European Satellite Navigation Competition (ESNC) 2011 announced on November 18 the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) was the champion for the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) Living Lab Award for its creative Geo-coupon App based on the Global Navigation Satellite System. ITRI capacity for research and development thus attracted worldwide attention. A total of 23 countries have participated hosting different regional preliminaries of the creative contest for satellite positioning applications initiated by the European Union. Under guidance of the Department of Industrial Technology of the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) for innovation award and prototyping award, ITRI joined and became one of the hosting nations. This year, ITRI strove to host with the topic of "connected vehicle" and solicited entries around the world and the number of teams applied and entries received topped other regional contests. After going through fierce contest, ITRI, Institute for Information Industry (III), and the German Space Center respectively won championships for the Galileo contest and prototyping team in the Taiwan region.
Dr. Sheng-Lin Chou, deputy general director of ITRI's Information and Communications Research Laboratories, pointed out Taiwan's ESNC has entered the fourth session. Differing from creative applications in satellite navigational technology in the past years, this year the ESNC has introduced new elements of creative telematics and concomitantly the first time Taiwan led the world in hosting prototyping contest, a breakthrough to the past contests of emphasizing only on creative ideas. Because of the challenge and fun of the contest and Taiwan's world-renowned ICT (information and communications technology) capability, the contest attracted worldwide attention. The number of applications and entries to the contest in Taiwan topped the world. In 2011, a total of 23 countries including Germany, Spain, Israel, India, the Netherlands, the USA, Ukraine, Sweden, Singapore, Hungary and Finland participated in the Galileo contest with 75 entries received for the Taiwan region (representing 18.7% of 401 entries globally) producing outstanding results in innovation award for the Taiwan region and global prototyping award.
Dr. Jet P. H. Shu, an advisor of the Department of Industrial Technology, MOEA said, through ESNC, Taiwan's creative applications for satellite navigation can be elevated to the world arena and global satellite navigation creative applications also can be introduced to Taiwan, thus creating a new global business of smart vehicles through integration of navigational satellites and telematics. Taiwan has long been a power in ICT while the world-famous automobile manufacturers are mostly in Europe, therefore a contest matching satellite navigation and telematics is of major significance in fostering close relations between Taiwan and the European automobile manufacturers.
In the GNSS special topic category, ITRI team created the Geo-coupon app so that the user, wherever he or she goes, can immediately identify the store through the global navigational satellite system positioning and use the cell phone to directly download the coupon for presentation to the store to obtain a discount price. This creative and practical design stood out among the participants and won the champion award for Taiwan.
Dr. Sheng-Lin Chou, deputy general director of ITRI's Information and Communications Research Laboratories, pointed out Taiwan's ESNC has entered the fourth session. Differing from creative applications in satellite navigational technology in the past years, this year the ESNC has introduced new elements of creative telematics and concomitantly the first time Taiwan led the world in hosting prototyping contest, a breakthrough to the past contests of emphasizing only on creative ideas. Because of the challenge and fun of the contest and Taiwan's world-renowned ICT (information and communications technology) capability, the contest attracted worldwide attention. The number of applications and entries to the contest in Taiwan topped the world. In 2011, a total of 23 countries including Germany, Spain, Israel, India, the Netherlands, the USA, Ukraine, Sweden, Singapore, Hungary and Finland participated in the Galileo contest with 75 entries received for the Taiwan region (representing 18.7% of 401 entries globally) producing outstanding results in innovation award for the Taiwan region and global prototyping award.
Dr. Jet P. H. Shu, an advisor of the Department of Industrial Technology, MOEA said, through ESNC, Taiwan's creative applications for satellite navigation can be elevated to the world arena and global satellite navigation creative applications also can be introduced to Taiwan, thus creating a new global business of smart vehicles through integration of navigational satellites and telematics. Taiwan has long been a power in ICT while the world-famous automobile manufacturers are mostly in Europe, therefore a contest matching satellite navigation and telematics is of major significance in fostering close relations between Taiwan and the European automobile manufacturers.
In the GNSS special topic category, ITRI team created the Geo-coupon app so that the user, wherever he or she goes, can immediately identify the store through the global navigational satellite system positioning and use the cell phone to directly download the coupon for presentation to the store to obtain a discount price. This creative and practical design stood out among the participants and won the champion award for Taiwan.
2011年11月21日星期一
Superhero Blasts The Bugs At Chesterfield Royal Hospital
Hero Joe (above) has been on Nightingale Ward to help raise awareness of the importance of hand hygiene and how cleaning your hands can protect you from a number of bugs and viruses.
Representing GoJo, who provides the Royal with a variety of hand gels and dispensing machines, the character visited a number of wards at a time of year when the importance of hand hygiene becomes particularly significant.
Rob Nash is the Head of Environmental Risk, he said: "We wanted to bring him down as part of Hand Hygiene Week. As we enter the winter months and see an increase in viruses such as Norovirus, Influenza, coughs and colds we thought it was particularly relevant.
"He's been giving out hand gels as well as information leaflets whilst representatives from GoJo have been speaking to patients, visitors and staff about the important message behind his appearance."
Jane Hill, GOJO's Regional Support Executive, said. "It was an honour to support the hospital in spreading positive hand hygiene during the week. Such a simple procedure, if done correctly, can help stop the spread of germs.
"Hero Joe was very popular with the children and we hope he positively and permanently influences their hand hygiene habits."
His visit comes just a week after Basil Ward was closed following an outbreak of Norovirus and at a time where people are being encouraged to get themselves vaccinated against flu.
The Royal's Senior Matron for Infection Prevention and Control added: "We can't over-emphasise the importance of good hand hygiene in stopping these diseases from spreading. We can't prevent outbreaks but we can all help to limit their impact by encouraging people to wash their hands with soap and warm water, dry them thoroughly and put the paper towels in the bin.
"We have sinks and hand gel dispensers in every bay, sinks at the entrance to every ward spine and two hand gel dispensers on each spine. They are there for a reason and we would urge all visitors and staff members to use them every time they enter and leave a ward."
An information video called 'Save Lives - Clean Hands' that explains when to wash your hands and the correct way to do so can be found on the trust's website and YouTube channel.
Representing GoJo, who provides the Royal with a variety of hand gels and dispensing machines, the character visited a number of wards at a time of year when the importance of hand hygiene becomes particularly significant.
Rob Nash is the Head of Environmental Risk, he said: "We wanted to bring him down as part of Hand Hygiene Week. As we enter the winter months and see an increase in viruses such as Norovirus, Influenza, coughs and colds we thought it was particularly relevant.
"He's been giving out hand gels as well as information leaflets whilst representatives from GoJo have been speaking to patients, visitors and staff about the important message behind his appearance."
Jane Hill, GOJO's Regional Support Executive, said. "It was an honour to support the hospital in spreading positive hand hygiene during the week. Such a simple procedure, if done correctly, can help stop the spread of germs.
"Hero Joe was very popular with the children and we hope he positively and permanently influences their hand hygiene habits."
His visit comes just a week after Basil Ward was closed following an outbreak of Norovirus and at a time where people are being encouraged to get themselves vaccinated against flu.
The Royal's Senior Matron for Infection Prevention and Control added: "We can't over-emphasise the importance of good hand hygiene in stopping these diseases from spreading. We can't prevent outbreaks but we can all help to limit their impact by encouraging people to wash their hands with soap and warm water, dry them thoroughly and put the paper towels in the bin.
"We have sinks and hand gel dispensers in every bay, sinks at the entrance to every ward spine and two hand gel dispensers on each spine. They are there for a reason and we would urge all visitors and staff members to use them every time they enter and leave a ward."
An information video called 'Save Lives - Clean Hands' that explains when to wash your hands and the correct way to do so can be found on the trust's website and YouTube channel.
2011年5月2日星期一
VW electronic research lab moved to Silicon Valley
Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, the ERL represents the entire Volkswagen Group in applied research and development with a mission to develop innovations and technologies for future generations of cars. They also find ways to transfer technologies from other industries into the automotive realm. The lab develops design and technical solutions to assist safe, convenient and intelligent interaction between the driver and vehicle information.
The ERL is a dedicated think tank for Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Volkswagen, focused on creating smarter cars and identifying new technologies. The Silicon Valley location allows the VW Group to work directly with the world's leading high-tech companies, start-ups and universities to develop applications for their vehicles.
The lab recently moved from Palo Alto to the current Belmont location, its third office in Silicon Valley, in order to support consistent growth since its 1998 founding. At the opening, the ERL hosted a Tech Day, involving demonstrations that provided a glimpse into the latest in automotive technology.
VW Group of America president and CEO Jonathan Browning was joined at the event by key officials including: U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, Belmont Mayor Coralin Feierbach; and Rob Csongor, Vice president of Corporate Marketing for NVidia.
Also in attendance were professors from several institutions including the University of California, Berkley; the University of Southern California; the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute; the University of California, San Diego; Stanford University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
"The Electronics Research Laboratory is another example of Volkswagen Group of America's investment in the U.S.," Browning said, adding that Volkswagen Group has made a significant multi-million dollar investment in the new facility. "The commitment of the ERL teams to automotive innovation will benefit drivers through safer, more eco-friendly driving experiences, prompted by the technological heartbeat of Silicon Valley. I am excited to help showcase the next generation of mobility today."
New Tech Demos
Human Machine Interface: recent efforts by the Human-Machine Interface team at the Electronics Research Lab have focused on designing innovative vehicle cockpits for Volkswagen Group's vehicles. Among the features are touchscreen/touchpad and display innovations creating a user experience allowing the driver to keep their eyes on the road as they interact with other features. Applications providing a wide array of communication, information and entertainment to rear-seat passengers are also part of the mix.
Infotainment Platforms: This team is developing systems that learn individual driving styles, preferences and schedules to provide personalized feedback about driving performance, desired points of interest and destinations, as well as recommendations for trip efficiency. This tool assist drivers in planning routes to avoid stressful driving, reserve parking spaces ahead of time and minimize dangerous driving situations.
Infotainment Applications: Building on the success of the Google Earth-based navigation system launched first in the new Audi A8 and the all-new Audi A7, the IA team adds Google Voice Local Search and Google Street View to the online navigation experience.
Driver Assistance Systems: The DAS team is collaborating with Silicon Valley-based visual computing technologies company NVidia to create next-generation vision processing applications for powerful emergency assistance systems. The team is also working with Oracle to develop Java-based tools for increasingly complex software architectures. The team has partnered with Virginia Tech and Stanford University to continue co-development of advanced driver assistance systems.
"These types of innovations clearly show that our researchers are among the best and brightest tackling the problems of mobility today," said ERL Executive Director Burkhard Huhnke. "Our partnerships with universities, organizations and companies like NVIDIA, Google and Oracle are helping us focus on smarter, safer driving and next-generation technologies."
The ERL is a dedicated think tank for Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini and Volkswagen, focused on creating smarter cars and identifying new technologies. The Silicon Valley location allows the VW Group to work directly with the world's leading high-tech companies, start-ups and universities to develop applications for their vehicles.
The lab recently moved from Palo Alto to the current Belmont location, its third office in Silicon Valley, in order to support consistent growth since its 1998 founding. At the opening, the ERL hosted a Tech Day, involving demonstrations that provided a glimpse into the latest in automotive technology.
VW Group of America president and CEO Jonathan Browning was joined at the event by key officials including: U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, Belmont Mayor Coralin Feierbach; and Rob Csongor, Vice president of Corporate Marketing for NVidia.
Also in attendance were professors from several institutions including the University of California, Berkley; the University of Southern California; the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute; the University of California, San Diego; Stanford University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
"The Electronics Research Laboratory is another example of Volkswagen Group of America's investment in the U.S.," Browning said, adding that Volkswagen Group has made a significant multi-million dollar investment in the new facility. "The commitment of the ERL teams to automotive innovation will benefit drivers through safer, more eco-friendly driving experiences, prompted by the technological heartbeat of Silicon Valley. I am excited to help showcase the next generation of mobility today."
New Tech Demos
Human Machine Interface: recent efforts by the Human-Machine Interface team at the Electronics Research Lab have focused on designing innovative vehicle cockpits for Volkswagen Group's vehicles. Among the features are touchscreen/touchpad and display innovations creating a user experience allowing the driver to keep their eyes on the road as they interact with other features. Applications providing a wide array of communication, information and entertainment to rear-seat passengers are also part of the mix.
Infotainment Platforms: This team is developing systems that learn individual driving styles, preferences and schedules to provide personalized feedback about driving performance, desired points of interest and destinations, as well as recommendations for trip efficiency. This tool assist drivers in planning routes to avoid stressful driving, reserve parking spaces ahead of time and minimize dangerous driving situations.
Infotainment Applications: Building on the success of the Google Earth-based navigation system launched first in the new Audi A8 and the all-new Audi A7, the IA team adds Google Voice Local Search and Google Street View to the online navigation experience.
Driver Assistance Systems: The DAS team is collaborating with Silicon Valley-based visual computing technologies company NVidia to create next-generation vision processing applications for powerful emergency assistance systems. The team is also working with Oracle to develop Java-based tools for increasingly complex software architectures. The team has partnered with Virginia Tech and Stanford University to continue co-development of advanced driver assistance systems.
"These types of innovations clearly show that our researchers are among the best and brightest tackling the problems of mobility today," said ERL Executive Director Burkhard Huhnke. "Our partnerships with universities, organizations and companies like NVIDIA, Google and Oracle are helping us focus on smarter, safer driving and next-generation technologies."
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