VOA慢速英语:Phone App to Assist Alzheimer’s Caregivers

Alzheimer’s disease is mostly a condition of old age. Since life expectancy is getting longer around the world, the number of people affected by the brain disease is expected to triple in some countries by the middle of the century. People with Alzheimer’s often have other medical needs that require the services of numerous health care professionals. Caregivers often have a hard time keeping up with all the medical information.
阿尔茨海默氏病是一种老年人常见病。由于预计全球寿命越来越长，在一些国家受这种脑部疾病影响的人数预计到本世纪中叶将增加到三倍。阿尔茨海默氏症患者往往需要其它医疗需求，需要多名卫生保健专业人员提供服务。护理人员往往也很难跟上所有的医疗信息。

More and more, family members are being called on to help care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s. It is a responsibility for which most people are uNPRepared. This is why the Hebrew Home, a private health care group in Riverdale, New York, developed an iPhone and iPad application called “Balance.”
越来越多的家庭成员被叫来帮忙照顾患有阿尔茨海默氏症的亲人。对于大多数毫无准备的人，这是一种负担。这就是为什么纽约里弗代尔区的私人卫生保健组织Hebrew Home为iPhone和iPad开发了一款名为“Balance”的应用程序。

The app offers caregivers advice on recognizing symptoms and on feeding, bathing and providing a healthy environment for the patient. It can be bought on the Internet for four dollars. David Pomeranz is Hebrew Home’s program development director, and he created “Balance.”
该应用程序为护理人员在识别症状，给病人喂食、洗澡，以及提供一个健康环境上提供建议。花4美元就能在互联网上买到它。David Pomeranz是Hebrew Home的程序开发总监，就是他开发了“Balance”。

“It is not easy and we hope this will make it a little easier for people.”
“这并不容易，但我们希望该程序能帮人们变得更容易些。”

The Hebrew Home is a not-for-profit organization that provides care to 75,000 patients throughout New York City.
Hebrew Home是一家非盈利组织，它为整个纽约的75000名病人提供护理。

“We are dealing with their family members because, as a philosophy, we feel that we need to care for the caregiver equally in our (response to the) care needs (of) the clients themselves, since if the caregiver does not have the proper supports, they simply cannot be a caregiver.”
“我们是和他们家庭成员打交道。因为作为一种理念，我们觉得我们必须平等照顾好护理人员，来作为我们对客户自身护理需求的回应。如果护理人员没有获得适当支持，他们根本无法成为一名护理人员。”

Mister Pomeranz says the “Balance” software is designed to let users organize medical and other information so they can easily keep track of the person's health. It helps caregivers manage doctor’s appointments and share information with doctors about the patient’s daily emotional changes.
Pomeranz先生说，“Balance”软件的设计，目的在于让用户把医疗和其它信息组织起来，这样他们就能很容易地跟踪病人的健康。它可以帮助护理人员管理医生的门诊预约，并和医生共享病人的日常情绪变化等信息。

Interest in the app is not limited to the United States.
对该应用程序感兴趣的并不限于美国。

“It has been interesting to see that we have had apps purchased (in countries) from Egypt to the Netherlands to Greece. It is like the United Nations every day, to see where people are buying this.”
“很高兴看到从埃及到荷兰都有人在购买我们的应用程序。每天购买这个程序的地方就像是联合国。”

David Pomeranz says software developers are working on a version of “Balance” for mobile devices using the Android operating system.
David Pomeranz说，软件开发人员正开发一个针对使用Andriod操作系统的移动设备版本的"Balance"应用程序。

In a separate but unrelated story, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, Missouri have identified genes linked to Alzheimer’s disease. They say the discovery could help researchers develop new drugs against the brain disease.
一个独立无关的消息，华盛顿大学圣路易斯医学院，密苏里州的科学家已经确认出和阿尔茨海默氏病有关的基因。他们说，这一发现可能有助于研究人员开发针对该脑部疾病的新药。