Minister Hilde Crevits visits carehome Gerstjens and becomes acquainted with smart lamp Nobi
“Today I saw a great example of how smart technology can provide support to staff and enhance the quality of care,” said Minister Crevits
Hilde Crevits, the Flemish Minister of Welfare, Public Health and Family, visited the residential care home Gerstjens in Aalst today. The residential care home is pioneering the use of innovative technologies that increase the quality of care provided to residents.
Flemish Minister of Welfare, Health and Family, Hilde Crevits: “Staff in our residential care homes provide exceptionally warm care to their residents. Today I saw a great example of how smart technology can provide support to staff and enhance the quality of care. Technology can add significant value to healthcare.”
“By embracing technology, you can prevent care, and as a care professional, you can give more loving care to the residents of our residential care homes,” adds Johan Staes, Managing Director of the Flemish Independent Care Network (Vlozo).
He thereby urges policymakers to financially support healthcare facilities that want to adopt healthcare technology.
Johan Staes: “A residential care home recognised by Flanders can count on basic funding for care tasks. But shortages in the labour market make it impossible to attract enough healthcare professionals to carry out these care tasks. With an ageing population on the horizon, the demand for specialised care for dependents will only increase.”
Taking this into account and fully aware that prevention is much cheaper than curative care, Vlozo asks the Flemish government to fully commit to innovation in healthcare and make resources available for those technologies.
Residential care home Gerstjens has the ambition to provide the very best care to its residents in a homely atmosphere.
Director Mathieu Dewulf: “We actively look for technologies and innovations that promote the well-being of our residents and unburden our care professionals. Too much time is spent on administrative tasks and running around indoors when we want to spend much more time with our residents.”
Carehome Gerstjens is a pioneer in the use of healthcare technology. Six months ago, they were the first residential care home in Flanders to equip an entire ward with smart lamps for fall detection. The results after six months are stunning.
Roeland Pelgrims, CEO of Nobi: “We are particularly excited about the results of this pilot project with Nobi. It shows that our smart lamps can support healthcare workers on three levels: by providing quick help after a fall, by preventing people from falling, and by providing help in 100% of the cases. Also in those smaller incidents with hidden injuries that would otherwise not have come to light until months later.”
Carehome Gerstjens has been able to detect 80% more falls due to the technology. Even falls that would otherwise have remained under the radar because residents were able to get up independently after a fall are now recorded in the health care record.
Mathieu Dewulf: “This data allows us to adapt our care to the needs of the residents. We look at whether we can help residents at risk of falling with a hip airbag. Our occupational therapists can also use smart technology to evaluate walking patterns and adjust exercise therapy accordingly to reduce the risk of falling.”
Minister Crevits met some of the residential care home’s staff members and residents during her visit. She was also given a demonstration of the possibilities that various care technologies offer.
Liesbeth Pyck
Johan Staes