Improving the score of home support services with Kwido Home
Kwido’s app offers technology services for companies – such as 24-hour monitoring of the elderly – that increase scores in domestic support service competitions
We are faced with a demographic context marked by ever-increasing longevity, resulting in an increase in the percentage of the adult population. Spain, along with countries such as Japan and Switzerland, is at the forefront of life expectancy: an encouraging situation which means that home care and support companies are becoming increasingly important for a population that wishes to get older peacefully and safely, and in their own home.
Why do we need home support companies?
As the population grows older and the period of old age increases, a series of physical and physiological changes occur that cause physical and cognitive deterioration in the elderly. Chronic diseases, which affect the vulnerability and fragility of all these people, also become more visible and overwhelming.
Adding to this the fact that around 33% of older people live alone at home, we find a large sector of the population that needs home support services so that their health and quality of life are not compromised.
It is within this context that home support services (HSS) play a key role.
These companies focus mainly on helping older people maintain their independence and autonomy. Above all, in maintaining a normal routine and carrying out the essential activities of their day-to-day life. This enables all these elderly people to remain in their homes for as long as possible, properly cared for and assisted.
Evolution towards a risk prevention model
With the emergence of new technologies, and with the aim of improving the quality of life of home support users as much as possible, the evolution towards a preventive and non-intrusive model is beginning. The objective is to focus on anticipation, using state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence tools to prevent and anticipate unusual and risky situations.
At Kwido, and with the recent development of our Kwido Home solution, we work to offer to telecare companies the very best system for monitoring the elderly at home. In this way, we are firmly committed to a system that enables older people to live safely in their homes, while guaranteeing the peace of mind of friends and family, as well as that of their home support service assistants and therapists.
Kwido Home: a better service and a higher score in public tenders
In view of this situation, public administrations are starting to evaluate and give special attention in their tenders and bidding processes to the use of software in telecare and home care services that facilitate the maintenance of health and safety of the elderly around the clock.
We are talking about software that is designed for home monitoring, which serves to make the processes more agile, without this implying increased recruitment of staff or an increased workload for existing staff. It makes it easier for professionals to focus on better care, eliminating unnecessary incursions and false alarms. It also enables the anticipation of potential emergency situations, or of an emerging physical or cognitive deterioration that may go undetected in usual interactions with users.
Moreover, value is also placed on solutions that provide care not only in terms of monitoring and follow-up, but also provide a 360º care programme that includes cognitive stimulation programmes for users, alert systems for outings, preventive warnings, and even the inclusion of family members in an ultimate formula aimed at the efficiency of the centre and the satisfaction of its users.
How does Kwido Home work?
Kwido Home is an elderly monitoring system that enables a home to be transformed into a smart home. It is designed to monitor routines in a non-intrusive way, by installing sensors in different parts of the home, and to ensure that eating, hygiene, leisure and rest habits are carried out normally.
Some examples of how it works
Monitoring the hygiene of the elderly person
Through the incorporation of sensors in shower screens or the toilet seat, elderly care services can tell whether the user is maintaining an optimum level of hygiene. It is also possible to detect whether the person is taking too long to leave, which could be an indication of a risk situation.
Sleep monitoring
In addition to sensors, Kwido Home facilitates the integration of devices such as activity bracelets, which send data on the quantity and quality of the user’s sleep to a central device.
Monitoring daily medication intake
Another great utility of the sensors is the monitoring of medication taken by the user. Thanks to the incorporation of sensors in the medicine box or cabinet, it is possible to set up alerts that indicate whether or not the patient has opened the box or cabinet, so we know when he or she has not taken their medication and we can contact him or her to find out what has happened.
Monitoring of eating habits
Following healthy and prescribed eating habits is essential for the physical and cognitive maintenance of older people. That is why Kwido Home uses non-intrusive sensors to monitor the use of kitchen utensils and appliances. This allows us to know the frequency of use of the oven, of opening the refrigerator, the microwave, etc.
Kwido Home is capable of detecting these and many other situations, such as outings, possible falls, or particular situations that are analysed for each user individually, integrating a wide ecosystem of possible devices.
Integration with cognitive stimulation activities
Finally, and following the risk prevention model we mentioned earlier, we have worked to integrate our online cognitive stimulation system into Kwido Home in order to help maintain the usual cognitive state of patients.
Thanks to Kwido Mementia for online cognitive stimulation, we achieve a 360º health monitoring solution that provides devices to monitor the patient’s health, sensors to guarantee optimal and healthy routines, and cognitive exercises that prevent and detect possible emotional and/or cognitive impairment. It can also be integrated with Kwido Salud for the telemonitoring of users’ vital signs.