Success story:
Siza - Transforming care through innovation
Innovative care
The Netherlands
Integration
Disability care
IQ Messenger software indispensable for the transformation of Het Dorp into the most innovative technological care environment
Het Dorp, the best-known residential community for people with disabilities, is being transformed into a technologically smart contemporary living environment with the help of, among other things, the IQ Messenger software platform.
Het Dorp originated nearly sixty years ago. While the built environment took center stage in the 1960s, the modern zeitgeist calls for a different approach. About six years ago, the idea emerged regarding what the renewed Dorp would look like, based on the principle of participation. Siza made plans for the development of Het Dorp and tests them together with its residents and professionals in a mock-up home before putting them into use. In this way, maximum efficiency and acceptance of the new technology are achieved. Siza has the ambition to help people with a disability or chronic illness lead as independent a life as possible through smart technology.
IQ Messenger forms the vendor independent central hub for the integration and monitoring of various existing and new healthcare communication systems, with the work process at the center.
Every innovation yields a technology
How can we support the building, care, and guidance of our residents through the use of smart technology? Academy Het Dorp emerged from Siza's Research & Development department and has since become an independent organization. Academy Het Dorp works on the realization of technology because they believe that both people and care require technology. On the one hand, to offer people as normal a life as possible, and on the other, to make care more efficient and humane. Academy Het Dorp researches, advises, guides, and implements. They challenge and connect companies, organizations, institutions, experts by experience, and professionals.
The result is that every innovation yields a technology that actually adds value to people's lives and the care they need.
Requirements for new building and technology
Siza has translated the care process into scenarios together with all stakeholders (including residents). These scenarios describe the required and desired work processes and, consequently, the functioning of the care system.
Jos Geesken, Program Manager Home Automation and Technology at Siza, explains: “Siza has developed scenarios from a user perspective that need to be populated and supported by technology. The chosen care technology must be integrable for both the producer and the implementation partners; together, they work towards optimal functionality. A requirement is that the care home automation is free from vendor lock-in and can be used both intramurally and extramurally.”
Mock-up house for testing technology
The chosen technology was subsequently implemented in the mock-up home. The mock-up home is a model home intended for testing all selected technology.
Academy Het Dorp and Siza have jointly investigated whether the future residents are capable of independently using the technical elements in the home, and to what extent these elements meet their wishes and needs.
Geesken: “Within this test program, we conducted continuous measurements of the new technology so that areas for improvement could be implemented immediately in the new construction. It involved iterative development, integration, and testing with residents and healthcare professionals. If a resident or healthcare professional required different care technology, we could easily add it to the mock-up home, regardless of brand.”
Scientifically and ethically sound innovation
Academy het Dorp has a Scientific Advisory and Ethics Council that advises them on the establishment and expansion of research lines based on, among other things, high-quality applied and scientific research. From development to the broad implementation of innovative technological solutions, ethical aspects and expertise based on lived experience are taken into account in all phases. Everything that has been tested and configured is being implemented in the first new building in Het Dorp, comprising thirty-six care apartments.
Choice for IQ Messenger
Siza chose the vendor independent alarm solutions from IQ Messenger to unify all systems. The work process is central, so that the quality of life for residents improves.
Geesken: "IQ Messenger is one of the largest alerting platforms. We saw how it performed at fellow healthcare institutions and decided to partner with IQ Messenger based on those positive insights."
A major advantage is liberation from vendor lock-in. Geesken: "IQ Messenger offers openness, allowing you to connect with all kinds of technologies without being dependent on separate systems. The data from these integrations lead to new insights and a more efficient care process, and with the wireless connection, you realize customized alerting that supports the freedom of movement of residents."
IQ Messenger as a link between technologies
A shift is being made from 'technology associated with care' to 'technology at the heart of care'. Notifications from various technological applications such as wearables, medical devices, smart sensors, and cameras are bundled by IQ Messenger and dispatched to the appropriate devices. This contributes to a more efficient workflow and, consequently, better care and a smarter deployment of professionals.
Geesken explains: “Which systems and alarm handling are required depends on the target group and the care needs of these residents. With IQ Messenger, we can determine all of this ourselves by configuring the system so that it fits the work process perfectly.”
Smart control room
Currently, a classic listening system with control room functionality is still in use. This entails a very intensive work process, and relevant resident data must be manually transferred from the EHR daily, with all the associated GDPR issues.
The IQ Messenger platform will integrate alarms from the monitoring system and always display current resident information directly from the EHR on the operator's screen or on a healthcare professional's smartphone upon an incoming alarm. It also enables Siza to serve extramural residents with modern care devices and GPS trackers. Inpatients, they support residents by deploying smart sensors as a replacement for monitoring technology.
Learning environment
The objective of a learning environment is to improve care provision, (independent) daily activities for people with long-term care needs, and involved informal caregivers through the use of Big Data and the Internet of Things (IoT). Big Data is an umbrella term. It indicates that the amount of data from which information is gathered is increasing, in terms of both volume and type of data. IQ Messenger provides Siza with data originating from all connected systems and the actions of healthcare professionals.
At Het Dorp, Big Data is utilized in the form of data analysis with the objective of acting preventively and analyzing situations. All collected data is recognized based on rough patterns.
The data is also linked to the scenarios described in the ECD. In addition to user scenarios, there are also management scenarios.
IoT connects care processes, residents, and technology
Geesken gives an example: "When a resident moves, we want the EHR to streamline this smartly, so that all care institutions are informed and another resident can be placed directly in the vacated home. The management scenarios support the user scenarios with proven technology."
The Internet of Things revolves around everyday objects exchanging data via the IQ Messenger platform on the Siza network. This creates coherence in the work process. The VMware IoT platform supports implementation and management across various devices, infrastructures, and edge, cloud, and application domains.
Technology thus makes the difference for residents and care professionals alike. All smart applications come together on a single platform, enabling Het Dorp to once again serve as an international example in disability care.
