The Future is Here...

A good portion of the job of a nursing home administrator these days is to keep up with all the changes going on that have an effect on their facility. The time of change for nursing homes is in full swing right now. Good Administrators have become more like fortune tellers who search the tea leaves of new technology and regulation to stay one step ahead of what might be necessary to have a facility that is relevant to whatever is considered mainstream. It is in that spirit that I share a situation that struck me over last weekend.

My wife made a tremendous leap and bought an apple iPhone. For those who have never experienced what this device does, I need to tell you it is truly amazing. One function of this device is a program called "Seri". Seri brought me back to my memories of sitting around the TV set with my brothers when I was little, anxiously awaiting the next Saturday night episode of Star Trek. We were mesmerized at all the things Captain Kirk was able to accomplish with the help of unheard of gadgets and equipment. He was able to ask the ship’s computer any question and get the answer after a few seconds of processing. Coming back to my weekend, I'm sitting there watching my youngest son doing the same thing on my wife’s iPhone. He asked the iPhone (Seri) a few questions that were fairly complex and got accurate answers faster than Captain Kirk. I am still amazed. I'm half thinking next weekend a space shuttle will land in my backyard.

What will this all mean for medicine in the coming years? If we follow Star Trek we see Bones (the doctor) healing people by waving some kind of device over their body. Could some of these things be in our future? I think it is important that we all keep an open mind these days. Just when you think something is impossible you might see your 12-year-old grandson doing it next time you visit.