An automated system that can independently lift people with limited mobility out of bed and put them under an automatic shower while seated. This new technology is being first tested by Omring, a healthcare organisation in the Netherlands in collaboration with Vilans.
How do staff and residents respond to technology that helps them get out of bed and enables them to shower independently? The idea is that the lifting and showering system helps clients to maintain control and autonomy. It also helps to ensure good quality care in the future. Moreover, this technology could also potentially save time in the nursing home and could, for example, prevent back pain for care workers.
To test these assumptions, Omring, together with Vilans, will be the first care organisation in the Netherlands to investigate the automatic lift and showering system. Developed by manufacturer Automation for Humanity (AfH), the system has already been used in Singapore, Sweden and Poland.
Innovative care
Meaningful Tryout
Henk Herman Nap, coordinator of Digital Care at Vilans, says: “The power of Meaningful Tryout is to investigate in small steps whether a technology fulfils a need in the organisation. It is a mistake to want to test everything in one pilot. This makes the pilot too large and complex. Instead, conduct the experiment in small steps. When experimenting, remember that a pilot is allowed to fail. Actually, there is no such thing as failure. After all, the fact that something does not work as intended gives you the knowledge you can use for the follow-up.”
Future-proof care expert Marije Holstege, associate professor of geriatric rehabilitation at Omring/Inholland and principal researcher, adds, ‘Within Omring, practice-oriented research and innovation are all interconnected. This collaboration is a great example of how Omring Innovation and the research department are working together with Vilans to carry out meaningful experiments in practice towards future-proofing care.’
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