With Nobi, the Netherlands chooses future-oriented elderly care

Velp/Antwerp, 28 June 2022 - The residents of Wiardi Hoeve care home in Velp are the first in the Netherlands to test the smart Nobi lamps in their flats. Thanks to the self-learning lamps, which have a fall detection function, the staff of the small-scale residential care facility in Gelderland can provide immediate help after a fall. The lamp also provides insight into the living patterns of the residents, thus helping to prevent accidents in the future. This saves busy care staff time and enables them to provide even better customised care.

Nobi lamps bring peace of mind to the elderly, their caregivers and their loved ones. They are equipped with sensors that use artificial intelligence (AI) to detect falls and identify irregularities in the resident. Esther Kempenaar, co-owner of the Wiardi Hoeve explains: "We have one resident who regularly falls out of bed at night. The smart lamp notifies us of the fall and helps us discern a pattern. Her sleep rhythm is tracked so we can see if she falls at a specific time and act accordingly. We have adapted our care so that she now sleeps more peacefully." Thanks to the smart lamps, residents, relatives and care staff have greater peace of mind because they know that a fall is always detected and can be acted upon in time.

Not unnecessarily disturbed

The care staff currently provides care to nine residents of the Wiardi Hoeve. Twenty-two lamps have been hung. The pioneering technology of the Nobi-Lamps not only makes it more pleasant for the staff of the Wiardi Hoeve, but also for the residents. Kempenaar: “We prefer not to disturb our residents unnecessarily. In the past, our staff sometimes popped in to check on things when that was not necessary. The intelligent lamps alert us so we can provide quick and appropriate care. As a result, we often don’t need to disturb residents at night.” An additional advantage is that the smart lamps support care workers, allowing them to better use their precious time for the residents. ​
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​Roeland Pelgrims, co-founder and CEO of Nobi, emphasises his mission to secure quality years of life for the elderly: “In the event of a serious fall, every minute counts. The quicker people are helped, the more dignified, quality years of life we can gain. We know from research by the injury prevention knowledge centre VeiligheidNL that someone aged 65 or older is brought into the emergency room every four minutes. That’s 300 treatments a day, and the percentage of serious injuries after an elderly person’s fall increased by 11% in the period 2010-2019.”

Monitor for loneliness

Nobi’s smart technology is currently primarily used for fall detection and prevention, but the smart lamp will soon also be used as a fully-fledged lifestyle monitoring system. “In the future, the lamp will also be able to keep track of how often a resident receives visitors and can, if desired, give the care staff an early warning that someone may be getting lonely,” says Pelgrims.“It will also be possible to detect changes in behaviour when, for example, someone suddenly has difficulty walking or displays cognitive decline.” Smart scales and blood pressure monitors will also ease the burden on care staff.

The company, founded in 2018, is committed to further expanding long-term partnerships with assisted living facilities, sheltered accommodations and hospitals. Nobi will also be available for older adults at home by the middle of next year. Wiardi Hoeve and Nobi strive for renewed, future-oriented elderly care where people’s happiness is central. In their view, the formidable challenges posed by an ageing population are no excuse. Together, they break a lance by focusing on individual care, positive health and prevention.

About Nobi

Nobi is a scale-up founded in Antwerp in 2018. The Belgian company’s star is its AI-powered smart lamp, which watches over the safety of older adults using fall detection, fall prevention and lifestyle monitoring. Nobi is currently active in professional care institutions, assisted living facilities and sheltered accommodations. The lamps contribute to even more targeted elderly care and relieve busy care workers from repetitive tasks, allowing their scarce time to be spent on those tasks that really make a difference to the lives and happiness of older adults. The smart lamps will also be available for older adults at home in 2023. Nobi received the Henry van de Velde Award twice in 2021, in the categories Business Innovation and Consumer, and also won a German Design Award. The scale-up employs more than 30 people worldwide, including in Belgium, the Netherlands and the United States. Nobi also has an international advisory board with specialists in elderly care, medicine and smart home technology.

About Wiardi Hoeve

Wiardi Hoeve was started at the end of 2021 by Esther Kempenaar and Linda Lesscher. To be able to live at Wiardi Hoeve, one must fall under the Long-term Care Law. This means that the people living there require permanent care, which may be related to memory problems or dementia. People with somatic (physical) issues after a stroke, for example, are also welcome. Wiardi Hoeve has ten high-quality flats where care is available 24 hours a day. There is also a detached studio for palliative/terminal care where people in their final stage of life can spend 24 hours a day with those closest to them. More information can be found at: Wiardihoeve.nl.

​Note to the editor, not for publication
​For more information or to request interviews, please contact Liesbeth Pyck - liesbeth@nobi.life - +32 499 34 01 95

copyright pictures: Arthur Van Leeuwen