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Arthritis Research UK Marketplace

By on 10 20, 2014 in Uncategorized

On Friday 17th October, Visbuzz were lucky enough to attend the Arthritis Research UK Marketplace. The event aimed to speed up the realisation of ideas and maximise the impact for people affected by arthritis, improving quality of life.

Arthritis Research UK is the charity dedicated to stopping the devastating impact that arthritis has on people’s lives. As well as new treatments and therapies, good inclusive product design, aids and adaptations can have a transformative effect in enabling people to live well with a long-tern condition.

There were multiple opportunities to meet people involved in the funding, design, development, manufacture and sale of innovations that can help people with arthritis live pain-free, independent lives.

We were able to share ideas, network with and learn from the experts and receive important information and advice. The event had a packed itinerary including VIP speakers, workshop sessions delivering a mixed and interactive programme, and themed exhibitor zones.

Speakers included Baroness Sal Brinton who provided the key note speech. She has been a Liberal Democrat peer in the House of Lords since 2011 and she was appointed co-chair (and Liberal Democrat spokesperson in the Lords) for health in November 2013, an area she has personal experience in as she has rheumatoid arthritis.

We heard from Professor Alan Silman – Medical Director and Director of Policy and Health Promotion, Arthritis Research UK, discussed why innovation within product development is important and how it is key to listen to those affected by Arthritis when developing products.

Liam O’Toole is the Chief Executive Officer, Arthritis Research UK and responsible for leading their workforce in their fight against arthritis. Liam helped us to understand more about Arthritis Research UK and the work that they are doing.

Visbuzz also attended a talk from Allyson Reed – Director of Corporate Relations, The University of Warwick, providing information on how universities can support the innovation process.

The day was informative and energising and it was excellent to listen to some of those affected by arthritis, hear their stories and get their perspective.

ARUK

30 Days of Adventure

By Admin on 07 28, 2014 in Health and WellbeingUncategorized

‘Adventures make us grow and laugh and learn about the world and ourselves.’

On Friday, Psychologies Magazine started their 30 Days of Adventure Challenge.The team decided they needed to practice what they preach, shake up their own routines and inject a little excitement into their everyday lives, so I thought I would join in. The challenge is to have an adventure every day for 30 days, no matter how big or small. Examples given include sleeping on the opposite side of the bed, taking swing dance lessons or packing your case for a spontaneous trip.

Easy peasy then…. or so I thought. If I sleep on the opposite side of the bed, my radio and plug will be on the wrong side, and after a sky dive and the Yorkshire 3 peaks, I would like to be adventurous in a non-costly kind of a way.

Now we are 3 days in, and the ideas are already running out! I have eaten Squid (having never done that before it was quite an adventure for me!), I have started a paint by numbers (nearly finished) and I went to a dog show with friends and even entered into one of the show categories (with a four legged friend). My other ideas include being more crafty, joining some meet up groups and finding a new curry house. Another way to increase your adventures is to say yes a little bit more. I tend to say no to things if they do not fit into my routine, or because I am too busy, or because it doesn’t sound like my kind of thing. This month it will be yes – well mostly!

Psychologies offers some other helpful  ideas to guide along the way including waking up early and going for a walk just after dawn, wearing a colour you never usually wear, watching a film you wouldn’t usually watch,  visiting somewhere local you have always wanted to go but hadn’t got round to. Follow their progress here: https://lifelabs.psychologies.co.uk/

Adventure

BRITSH RED CROSS: DON’T BE CAUGHT RED-FACED THIS HEATWAVE

By on 07 21, 2014 in Uncategorized

We share advice from the British Red Cross: See more here

It doesn’t often get hot in Britain – which is why so many of us go a bit solar-crazy. But before lathering yourself in baby oil and lying out on a piece of tin-foil, heed these warnings.

1. Sunburn At the first sign of good weather, it’s a popular male instinct in the UK to immediately expose one’s milky-white torso to the blazing sun. Many women, meanwhile, will spend days wearing differently-strapped tops until their exposed backs look like weird, sunburny crop circles. All too often, sun lotion doesn’t feature.

The problem is that most of us tend to see sunburn as not-really-a-proper-burn. But it is, just as surely as putting your hand over a lit flame. It’s very damaging, potentially cancerous and incredibly ageing for your skin.

Top tips 1. Regularly apply a high-factor sun lotion. 2. Try to stay in the shade, especially between 11am and 3pm. 3. Wear loose-fitting, cotton clothes that offer protection.

2. Drink lots of water It’s not a delightful image, but the truth is we all become human colanders during a heatwave. In very hot weather, our bodies sweat out liquid at a rate of knots so it’s really important to rehydrate.

Top tips 1. Take regular, small sips of water. (Note: drinking nothing for four hours then glugging back four litres in one go is cheating, and doesn’t work.) 2. Lager, beer, Pimms, wine and sweet fizzy drinks are not water. They are anti-water, in fact, because they cause dehydration.

3. Avoid heat exhaustion Ever wondered why all those cool-looking people in Mediterranean countries (‘Ciao!’) tend to stick to the shade and take things easy? It’s because they know how the body can quickly overheat under a strong sun.

Remember: excessive sweating = body losing salt and water = headaches, dizziness and nausea.

Top tips 1. Help someone who’s not feeling well to a shady place and ask them to lie down. 2. Give them plenty of water to drink. 3. Remove any excess, bulky clothing. 4. Monitor their condition – if their breathing or pulse changes, call 999.

4. Heatstroke: the big danger This is the serious one. If someone becomes dangerously over-heated, the brain’s ‘thermostat’ can malfunction and the body can’t regulate its own temperature. People with heatstroke often stop sweating and can lose consciousness within minutes, so you need to act fast.

Top tips 1. Quickly move the person to a cool place and remove outer clothing. 2. Call 999 for emergency help. 3. Wrap the person in a cold, wet sheet and pour cold water over them until their temperature falls to a normal level. 4. Once their temperature is normal, replace the wet sheet with a dry one. 5. Monitor and record their vital signs until emergency help arrives.

Sun

Life Made Easier

By on 07 14, 2014 in Uncategorized

There are so many new innovations being made every day. Many of these can be used to combat the struggles that hinder everyday life, and through design, mean that they benefit a large range of people. Here just a few of the inventions out there:

So first up, for those who enjoy twiddling their thumbs, or who seek comfort in something physical to touch. I give you the Twiddle Muff! http://www.activitiestoshare.co.uk/p/1/twiddle-muff-comforters. Particularly good for people with dementia or Alzheimer’s, the Twiddle Muff will keep the person occupied and snug simultaneously.

twiddle_muff_comforters (640x619)

Secondly, the folding walking stick. Many people use a walking stick to support them, but the problem lies when trying to store it. Trying to get into the car with it proves to be a challenge. Do you put it on the floor and let it tangle legs into a hopeless knot?  Or do you balance it on your shoulders pointing straight at the windscreen, or let it hit just about everyone in the face?  The solution has arrived: http://www.amazon.co.uk/World-Smallest-Folding-Walking-Stick/dp/B001TKBMIE. This walking stick folds nicely into a small space, in your handbag or even just to put in the car.

Folding Walking Stick

Thirdly, the no bend pet bowl. For many people bending down can be a real struggle, so the no bend pet bowl comes in very handy. With a long vertical handle it can be lifted up, refilled and placed back down with ease: http://www.elderberrydirect.co.uk/no-bend-pet-bowl.html

no bend pet bowl

Lastly, for those who have trouble bending down and gripping things – the Folding Reacher could do the trick. If you know someone, or if you yourself struggle with bending down to pick things up, to grip them or lift them, then by using the Reacher, these tasks can be made possible. http://www.elderberrydirect.co.uk/helping-hand/around-the-house/folding-reacher.html

folding reacher

With thanks to Jamie Cox for writing this week’s blog, and look out for more handy inventions in future blogs!

 

The Mature Marketing Summit 2014

By Admin on 07 07, 2014 in Uncategorized

We have had 16 year old Jamie Cox on work experience with us for a week.  He came along with us to the Mature Marketing Summit and this is his write-up…

On Monday 30th June, the Visbuzz team attended the first Mature Marketing Summit. The aim of this summit was to spread ideas and advice about how to include the elderly section of the demographic in marketing strategies, and for us to raise awareness. The Visbuzz team arrived in plenty of time, and took the opportunity to grab what we considered to be the best table to set up our display.

To kick off the morning’s festivities Jamie West, Deputy Managing Director of Sky Media, delivered a talk on the new Sky Adsmart. He told us of how, if you were a company looking to show an advert to only people residing in West Sussex, who have three children, a dog with black spots and drive a car with a tax band of D or higher, Sky Adsmart could be the very thing you need. He linked it back to mature marketing by showing how it could be used to help direct adverts to be specific and more relevant for the elderly.

After the Sky-guy, Prof Jeremy Myerson told us of the work he had been doing at the Royal College of Art (though he said himself, its more design than art). He delivered a very interesting speech on the challenges of designing for the elderly. From recognising that the life of an elderly person is not the slow fade to grey that it is seen as, and how designs can account for this, to the challenges of designing public space that works for all.

Helenor Gilmour gave a presentation about the problem of the far too unspecific globular term of ‘mature’ or ‘50+’. Her company (DC Thomson) had done a terrific amount of research on dividing the term 50+ into many different categories, this would then make it easier for companies to make their marketing endeavours more relevant and fitting to the diverse range of elderly.

Following up Helenor was Bob Shennan, controller of BBC Radio 2. He talked about the importance of the elderly to Radio 2’s huge success, and how their musical taste isn’t always as presumed. He also talked about how the elderly usually think of themselves as being younger, for at heart they always keep their youth. A very tasty lunch ensued and we had a great chance to have a chat with the others who were attending.

After lunch the eloquent John Redwood, Chairman of Conservative Economic Affairs Committee, gave a speech on the economic situations regarding the EU, China and the US, and their marketing implications and opportunities. He directed the attentions of marketing to specific groups of the 50+.

Next Professor Tom Kirkwood gave a presentation on how innovation is greatly needed for the ageing population. He talked of how when something is designed for the elderly it ends up becoming a great invention for all, be it families or teenagers.

The penultimate talk was given by Joe Twyman from YouGov. He presented some interesting statistics, information about the general operations of YouGov.  The research he is involved in will provide a wealthy base for marketers to refer to. He spoke about the differences between those under 60, and those above, and some of their similarities.

Finally, Elaine Draper Director Process Transformations at Barclays talked about the way that banking was made more inclusive and accessible for the elderly. She talked about the different services that could and are being provided, and the attitudes that should be used to help the elderly. She spoke of developments in Barclays that could be used across all businesses to assist the elderly.

The First Mature Marketing Summit was a fantastic experience for us at Visbuzz, we learned many things and the things we already know were validated, and hopefully we raised a bit of awareness about Visbuzz!

The Mature Marketing Summit 2014

By Admin on 07 07, 2014 in Uncategorized

We have had 16 year old Jamie Cox on work experience with us for a week.  He came along with us to the Mature Marketing Summit and this is his write-up… On Monday 30th June, the Visbuzz team attended the first Mature Marketing Summit. The aim of this summit was to spread ideas and advice [...]

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