Hospital & Health Care - Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States
Dolores Speech Products is the maker of a novel medical device that provides patients a voice; the Dolores One. The Dolores One system is a sophisticated and proprietary software algorithm designed to optimize the patient's natural voice while eliminating background noise. The patient's own voice is transmitted by a sensor that is affixed to the patient's neck transmitting the patient's vocal cord vibrations via wire to a portable, simple to operate touch screen speaker. This groundbreaking technology is in sharp contrast to the dated methods currently utilized by care providers. The inspiration for the development of the system was the difficult time Dolores, founder John Hamilton Sr.'s wife, had communicating throughout her last stages of life. He made it his priority to solve this common problem for others in similar situations. Very often patients who are receiving supplemental oxygen or are weakened by disease have a difficult time communicating. This is a very common experience that causes frustration, delays and errors for all of those involved in the sequence. These challenges lead to wasted time in emergent situations and could lead to medical errors and omissions, resulting in significant cost increases for both the patient and care provider.