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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-05-17 Daily Xml
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MEDICAL DEVICES PARTNERING PROGRAM

The Hon. S.W. KEY (Ashford) (15:03): My question is directed to the Minister for Ageing. Can the Minister for Ageing advise the house—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. S.W. KEY: I am not sure if the Minister for Ageing can hear any of this, but it is directed to you, minister. Could you advise the house of developments in technology to assist older South Australians?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister for Ageing.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE (Wright—Minister for Families and Communities, Minister for Housing, Minister for Ageing, Minister for Disability) (15:04): Thank you, Madam Speaker, and I thank the member for Ashford for her—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order.

Mrs REDMOND: The Minister for Police just alleged across the chamber to me that I am a fraud, and I resent it. I take exception to it and I ask him to withdraw and apologise.

The SPEAKER: Order! Minister for Police, did you say that?

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: I tell you what, for a guy who is getting a whacking from the opposition today, I have to apologise to them! I humbly apologise if the leader is offended.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Thank you. That will do. Sit down. Minister for Ageing.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: I thank the member for Ashford for her question.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: The Medical Devices Partnering Program, a partnership with Flinders University which receives around $1 million in funding from the state government, designs and develops—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: —new medical devices—

Mr Marshall interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Member for Norwood, you are shouting again. Can you please keep your voice down.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: The Medical Devices Partnering Program, which is a partnership with Flinders University and which receives around $1 million in funding from the state government, designs and develops new medical devices and assistive products. One recent innovation was the development of the MANA Calendar, a Memory, Appointment and Navigation Agent.

MANA is a computer-generated 'person' which talks to people with dementia or Alzheimer's to remind them of appointments, medication, visitors, eating meals or watching their favourite television shows. It can recognise movement in the room and understand vocal acknowledgements of its reminders. The MANA Calendar has also had input from Alzheimer's Australia and was the first application of the Flinders University's Thinking Head artificial intelligence research program.

Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the launch of another innovation developed through the program: a shopping simulator which tests cognitive brain function of stroke survivors or people suffering from a brain injury to ensure they receive the most appropriate treatment, giving them the best possible chance at recovery. Advances in virtual technology shown in the shopping simulator replicate a real-life situation, with real-life actions, making it easy to use. Feedback from the shopping simulator's first trial with patients at the Repatriation Hospital shows encouraging results. Patients are finding the assessment process less confronting and it alleviates the stress and anxiety involved in assessing people who have suffered strokes or brain injuries.

It goes without saying that nearly all of us want to be able to stay active and do things for ourselves for as long as we possibly can. The Rann government has demonstrated real commitment in helping people to achieve this.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: The member for Bragg might think it is funny when people have strokes. She thinks it is funny when people have strokes, when families suffer trauma, when people have their abilities taken away from them, when their lives have changed—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Do you think it's funny?

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order, member for Bragg!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Do you think it's hugely funny?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Let me tell you, it's not funny.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The member for Bragg will be quiet.

Ms Chapman interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I warn the member for Bragg.

The Hon. K.O. FOLEY: Point of order, Madam Speaker. I think the member for Bragg made an incredibly insensitive remark; I ask her to withdraw. The remark was that the member should take her Alzheimer's pills.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! I don't think there's a point of order there. It's an offensive remark but I'm not sure what it is covered by. Minister, could you finish your answer, thank you.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Yes, it is offensive, and it is offensive to all those people who are dealing with family members who have had strokes and who are struggling to recover—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: We are talking in this place about innovations developed by—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! The members on my left will be quiet.

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: —experts at our university. You would think the member for Bragg would show just a little bit of sensitivity, but not likely.

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: If we had said that you would be asking for our resignation! You're a disgrace!

The SPEAKER: Order, Minister for Correctional Services!

The Hon. J.M. RANKINE: Since coming to office, we have doubled funding to the disability sector, and, through our investment in initiatives such as the home visiting program and the personal alert system scheme for older South Australians, we are giving unprecedented support to seniors to stay as independent as possible, for as long as possible. We don't do this alone. When it comes to this sort of progress, the secret to South Australia's success lies in its strong partnerships and working together. It has been a pleasure to be a funding partner of the MDPP.

I would also like to acknowledge the Premier's Science and Research Fund, which has been a great supporter of this initiative. As a government we have worked hard to bring science to life and make it meaningful for all South Australians, and the shopping simulator is one of the best examples I have seen of how we are achieving this.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

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