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BOB HIRSHON (host):
A friendly reminder. I’m Bob Hirshon and this is Science Update.
For people infected with HIV, remembering to take medications on time is a matter of life and death. That can be hard, especially since the virus can cause mild memory loss.
But a new study by Dr. Adriana Andrade of Johns Hopkins and her colleagues shows that a device called Jerry can help. It’s a small white box that talks.
Jerry:It is time to take one Abacavir tablet.
HIRSHON:
Dr. Andrade says in her study, memory-impaired patients who used Jerry were more likely to stick to their regimens.
DR. ADRIANA ANDRADE (Johns Hopkins):
And many of them at night—after they took their medication—they would say, ‘good night, Jerry.’ So for some of the patients there was some type of attachment and acknowledgement that the device helped them.
HIRSHON:I’m Bob Hirshon, for AAAS, the science society.