Letters, contributions and comments sent in to the Advertiser this week.

Support the Rainbow Trust

Charmaine Green, mum of three, writes:

As we draw near to the clocks going back, I can’t help but think how precious time is. When my two-year-old daughter Nevaeh was diagnosed with Leukaemia in 2009, I desperately tried to cling on to every hour, afraid of what the future might bring.

Throughout everything my family has been through, one charity understood. Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity truly know how to support families who are caring for a seriously ill child. My family’s wonderful Rainbow Trust Family Support Worker, Lyn, helped us with the practical challenges of juggling a very ill child alongside everyday life. She also helped us emotionally to cope with the unimaginable situation we found ourselves in and gave us precious time together as a family.

This October, as Nevaeh celebrates over five years of being cancer free, please support Rainbow Trust’s ‘Big Hour Campaign’ to make the most of your extra hour when the clocks go back, by donating an hour of your wages, or holding a 60-minute fundraiser. An hour of support from Rainbow Trust can make all the difference. Trust me, I know.

Please visit rainbowtrust.org.uk/big-hour to find out more.

Supportive ‘smart’ technologies

Syed Kamall MEP (London), writes:

As we live longer, our ageing population will have an impact on our public finances and services. However, emerging ‘smart’ technologies could help to improve long term care.

‘Smart floors’ that detect falls, ovens that switch off if they detect burning, a GPS-enabled walking stick or frame that raises an alarm if the user hasn’t moved as they normally would; health-tracking apps and wearable gadgets, monitoring services and medication dispensing systems are just the start.

Of course, with any new technologies, there will be concerns over privacy and electro-magnetic radiation from devices constantly transmitted wirelessly.

But if stakeholders, especially those providing housing, social and health care, can work alongside inventors and technology innovators to address these concerns, we can look forward to smart devices improving our quality of life and easing anxiety for friends and loved ones as we grow older.