Mobile telecare for elderly people using Kwido
The new advanced telecare technology service has been successfully tested for several weeks with users of IMQ Igurco day centres.
- The new advanced telecare technology tool provides a service for the elderly, carers and family members.
- The digital solution is especially geared towards maintaining the physical and cognitive abilities of the elderly. It also facilitates the care of caregivers and brings the relationship with relatives closer.
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has meant a revulsion for numerous projects and needs in the field of care for the elderly. In view of the new circumstances, the process of research, innovation and development has accelerated. An example of this is the commitment of the Basque social and healthcare group IMQ Igurco to advanced telecare for the elderly.
IMQ Igurco is promoting a technological platform that facilitates the development of specific and personalised home care plans for caregivers, based on the guidelines of the group’s social and healthcare professionals.
To support this objective of developing personalised care plans at home, IMQ Igurco has incorporated the accessible technology of the technology firm Ideable, through Kwido. Kwido is our solution for the care of the elderly. In fact, both IMQ Igurco and Ideable have been working for years on the design of a technological solution to manage, monitor and support home care.
Kwido’s technology is supported by digital tablets and smartphones. With this platform, the physical and cognitive skills of the elderly are maintained, facilitating care for caregivers and bringing the relationship with family members closer.
Testing of advanced telecare for the elderly
As Eneritz Elgezua, Director of Day Centres at IMQ Igurco, explains, “in order to find out whether the tool is sufficiently effective and easy to use, we have been running a pilot project for several weeks with users from several of our day centres. These users have tested the new platform during their stays at home or away from home during weekends and holidays, such as Easter, for example“.
The new technological platform allows, among other functionalities, exercises to be carried out at home through videos shared by IMQ Igurco therapists. These exercises are personalised for each case according to the care plans defined. The digital tablets also include cognitive stimulation tasks to perform mental gymnastics and prevent and slow down cognitive deterioration. In addition, therapies can be developed through art, such as music therapy. Further functionalities of the platform, necessary for some of the interventions, are accessible video calls with relatives and carers; and access to photos and videos provided by relatives.
In this way, elderly people with digital tablets and caregivers and family members with their smartphones “support the user physically, cognitively, emotionally and socially. With their use, communication is increased and the caregivers’ provision of quality care is facilitated. With the support of IMQ Igurco’s professionals from different disciplines and the care plan defined and personalised for each case. It should not be forgotten that the day centres are staffed by medical, nursing, psychology, social work and auxiliary nursing care professionals“, says Eneritz Elgezua.
Positive user feedback
After a few weeks of using these new technological services, questionnaires have been carried out with users, carers and relatives and the results have been very positive.
Iñaki Bartolomé, MANAGING DIRECTOR, CEO OF IDEABLE SOLUTIONS
The responses to the questionnaires include the assessment that “the system has been easy to use for the elderly and very attractive. In fact, most of them asked to be able to continue using the technology platform after the end of the pilot programme. The carers have also concluded that the system has enabled them to provide better care at home without increasing their tasks or workload, which is of great importance. And family members have also mostly chosen to be able to continue using the system with their elders.”
According to the entrepreneur of this technological firm, “with this data, IMQ Igurco and Ideable (Kwido) are planning to continue increasing their collaboration in the use of technology to provide home care for the elderly, carers and their families“.