‘Innovate at Home’ is a living lab run by Midden-Holland healthcare partners, VGZ Care Office and Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Here, innovations in elderly care are researched and tested in practice together. The central question remains: what real benefits does an innovation bring to residents and healthcare professionals? This approach is helping us to develop smarter, more humane elderly care that is better equipped for the future.
Working together on the future of healthcare
Although each of the four students on the Health Technology programme worked on their own innovation challenge, they shared the same goal: to create more time and attention for residents while reducing the workload of care professionals.
Exoskeleton for easier lifting
Shevan Mohammed investigated how exoskeletons can support care workers during physically demanding tasks. An exoskeleton is a type of suit with technological features that you wear over your clothes. For example, it can support your back, shoulders or arms during heavy work, making lifting and bending less strenuous. Together with a Master's student from Delft University of Technology, Shevan developed a set of requirements for an exoskeleton better suited to the practical realities of elderly care. His research demonstrated the technology's significant potential, as well as the challenges that remain in terms of hygiene, how it fits, and ease of use.
Mobile shower system
Nienke Meerkerk investigated the Syren Shower, a mobile shower system that enables residents to have a shower in bed. The system uses a special shower head and a closed water circuit to enable safe and comfortable showering with minimal water usage and without wetting the bed. Her research showed that this innovation saves time and reduces the physical strain on carers. This method of showering also requires much less effort from residents. Consequently, they have more energy for other activities during the day, such as receiving visitors. Another benefit is that fewer disposable materials and less water are required.
“I’m certainly proud,” said Nienke. ‘I’ve often heard that the residents appreciate it. If something relatively simple can work so much better, that's great to see.'
Joy Baris's focus was on artificial intelligence within the electronic client record (ECR). In practice, accurate reporting on developments concerning residents throughout the day is often neglected. Care staff often only carry out administrative tasks at the end of their shift. Important details of earlier interactions are then sometimes less clear in their memory. The idea behind her research was to enable care staff to report data directly while with the resident using AI. This would allow information to be recorded more accurately, reduce the loss of knowledge, and ease the administrative burden on care staff. Her research showed that, technically, a great deal is possible, but the biggest hurdle lies in persuading care staff to embrace the new technology.
The use of robotics
Moesha de Zeeuw investigated how robotics could support care home staff, freeing up more time for them to provide direct care to residents. She analysed which tasks could be taken over by robots, how much time this would save, and how the freed-up time could be used. In doing so, she considered not only the technology itself, but also its impact on work processes and collaboration within care teams.
More than just technology
What sets 'Innovate at Home' apart is its focus not only on what an innovation can do, but also on its impact on residents and staff. Does a solution really work? Does it reduce the workload? Does it improve quality of life? How can you ensure that an innovation is actually used? These questions lie at the heart of the research.
In the process, the students discovered that innovation does not necessarily solve a problem immediately. Sometimes, research yields new insights. For instance, the AI project revealed that, although the technology is promising, care providers still require support to utilise it effectively. This knowledge will help care organisations implement future innovations more successfully.
Learning, researching and making an impact
According to the jury, 'Innovate at Home' embodies the values of Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences: students collaborating with researchers and industry partners to find solutions to societal issues. By testing innovations in practice, valuable knowledge is generated that benefits not only a single organisation, but the entire healthcare sector.
Through their work, the students contribute to a vibrant community in which high-quality care remains accessible to all. They do this not just by thinking about the future of care, but by helping to shape it today.
Would you like to find out more about 'Innovate at Home' and the innovations being researched? Many more students are involved in this project. View the examples and research findings via VGZ Care Office in Dutch.
About the Future Makers Awards
The Future Makers Awards are presented annually during the opening ceremony of the academic year to projects that bring together education, research and the professional field to address societal challenges. There is an award for each of the four challenges that Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences is working on: Future-proof Economy, Sustainable Delta, Vibrant Community, and Smart & Social City.