Digitalization in care homes

Sectors that are under a lot of pressure can benefit greatly from digitalization – an important step in long-term care for a secure future.
Zwei Handpaare greifen nacheinander, im Vordergrund wird die Digitalisierung durch ein Smartphone dargestellt.

The nursing home of the future

Most importantly, the “nursing home of the future” is about more personal attention – one that is supported by technology, not replaced by it. The foremost goal of digitalization is to make life easier for all concerned – care staff, nursing home management, residents, everyone can benefit.

Needs-based approach instead of routine checks

In the future, many of the current routine checks can be replaced by care based on actual need. This ensures more efficient use of staff and allows more quality time with the residents.
Symbolbild zum Pflegeheim der Zukunft: Ein Bewohner sitzt auf einem Sessel, im Vordergrund eine Ladestation mit Sensoren

The first step towards the future

AssistMe’s goal is to support care facilities on their way to digitalization. For nursing homes, the use of individual digital solutions is difficult or not feasible. A solution where all components work together and supports facilities at all levels would be the ultimate solution.

The first step in this direction is technologically supported incontinence care with smart sensors on absorbent incontinence aids. A sensor clip on the incontinence product detects when it has reached capacity and informs the care staff immediately.
Incontinence management via app

Digitalizing care – what’s the gain?

Staffing ratios are a challenge, employees are stressed and the quality of care is at risk. Therefore something has to be done to reverse this trend. With the AssistMe app, we show how nursing homes can benefit from the introduction of digital systems.
WITHOUT ASSISTME
Inefficient, routine-based care processes
Sporadic optimization of incontinence product selection due to manual, non-transparent recording of material consumption
Increased laundry costs due to leakages
Manual, potentially incomplete care documentation
Time-consuming training of inexperienced care staff due to verbally communicated information regarding residents’ needs 
Difficult planning of staff hours due to unforeseeable, labor-intensive events such as leakages
Poor workplace conditions, such as care staff performing unnecessary, physically demanding tasks, tarnishes the reputation of the facility
WITH assistme
Efficient, needs-based care processes
Continuous optimization of incontinence product selection through automatic, transparent recording of material consumption
Reduced laundry costs due to fewer leakages
Automated, seamless care documentation
Efficient and standardized training of inexperienced care staff thanks to readily available information regarding residents’ needs
Improved scheduling of staff hours due to fewer unforeseeable, labor-intensive events such as leakages
A modern, technologically supported workplace for care staff promotes a positive reputation of the facility

How can I achieve a smooth workflow in everyday care?

Bild aus der Smartphone -App, dass eine Leckage erkannt wurde.

Incontinence:
Avoiding leakages

Leakage of an incontinence product is not pleasant. The resident feels uncomfortable and usually spends more time than necessary in this discomforting situation. This means considerable extra work for the care staff, which is strenuous and upsets their schedule. Not least, the facility bears additional material and cleaning costs.
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A digital record of the actual capacity of the incontinence product with a notification feature that alerts staff via smartphone that it requires immediate changing can easily prevent leakages.
Lagerungsmanagement auf dem Handy

Position management:
More efficient supported positioning

The positioning of residents is important for their well-being and to prevent prolonged pressure on one side. Since this can only happen at routine intervals due to time constraints, problems arise with regard to position management, which could actually be avoided: First, the resident is disturbed by the check even if they have already changed position on their own. In addition, the resident might return to the previous position shortly after being positioned by the caregiver. In this case, the resident continues to lie on the side they had been on already for hours.
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AssistMe supports the prevention of pressure ulcers. An automatic notification that the resident has not changed position within a defined interval is sent to the caregiver and helps them in the decision-making process. This allows position management to be implemented efficiently and in a less disruptive way for the resident. Not only does this save time but also gives autonomy and quality of life back to the resident.
App auf dem Handy: Ein Bewohner mit Hinlauftendenz hat das Haus verlassen, jetzt kann das Pflegepersonal passende Maßnahmen ergreifen.

Wandering behavior:
Implementing measures without major restrictions

Residents with a tendency to wander pose a significant challenge for nursing homes and care staff. If a resident with dementia is not where they are supposed to be during the routine check, this often leads to a time-consuming search while the missing person is in a helpless situation. The nightly trip to the toilet can also end up somewhere else with the resident unable to find their way back.
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A useful measure is the definition of digital zones within the nursing home. This makes it possible to define secure areas and danger zones. If a resident with dementia enters such a danger zone (e.g., the exit of the care home), the responsible care staff member receives an alert on their smartphone. If the resident cannot be found, it is also possible to see in which part of ​​the building they currently are.
Handy, Laptop und Sensor auf einem Bild.

Documentation:
From cumbersome obligation to automated efficiency booster

Even though many nursing homes already use computer systems instead of paper, documentation is still a complex and often tedious process for employees. Waiting for the few available computer stations means that when the documentation is carried out at the end of the shift things will be forgotten or left out due to lack of time.
The next step in “digitalization” offers several advantages:
Changing an incontinence product or positioning a resident, can be documented automatically, thereby eliminating the need for compliance from the care staff.  In the event of recourse proceedings, the automated documentation of the position measures and the resident’s own movements can effectively substantiate that prevention has been carried out properly.
The use of mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets makes it possible to enter notes manually in the central documentation system while still with the resident, which significantly minimizes the chance of forgetting something.
Continuous collection and analysis of data help to optimize the care planning process.

The digitalization of care can begin

Our digital assistance system combines all of the advantages described in one product. The nursing home of tomorrow is not a distant vision of the future, it is becoming a reality.
Leakage prevention in residents with incontinence
Intelligent position management instead of routine rounds
Wandering behavior:  More safety, fewer restrictions
Documentation: Automated, seamless, additional input from a smartphone
AssistMe app product details

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AssistMe GmbH

Bachstrasse 12
10555 Berlin
Germany
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AssistMe GmbH has received additional funding by the Pro-FIT program of the Investment Bank of Berlin (3/2018 until 2/2020). The Pro FIT project's goal is the development of intelligent sensors for intelligent incontinence pants as well as the development of intelligent readout units and innovative algorithms for humidity determination. We are developing an intelligent and connected incontinence pant for elderly people. It can detect the amount and type of excrement in real time. If certain threshold values ​​are exceeded, a recommendation for action is sent to nursing staff.
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Our solution helps people in need of care to regain their dignity while reducing unnecessary costs for families, care institutions and insurers while decreasing stressful work for healthcare workers.
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This project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund [ERDF].