Internationale Partnersuche

Innovation & Technologie Anfrage

Dutch company that develops emotion-oriented care products for people suffering from dementia seeks technical cooperation agreement with non-profit partners

Country of Origin: Netherlands
Reference Number: TRNL20190806001
Publication Date: 6 August 2019

Summary

A Dutch SME has developed an easy to use, mobile, emotion-oriented care product for the dementia care market. The product provides clients with an audio-visual experience in their own familiar environment which enables them to relax and feel more comfortable. The SME is looking for a technical cooperation agreement with non-profit partners such as centres of expertise active in the field of dementia-care in order to improve the dementia-care in the targeted countries.

Description

The Dutch company’s specific aim is to develop products and services that provide care-givers in experience-oriented care with tools to make their job more effective, more rewarding, easier and more fun. The Dutch company developed an emotion-oriented care product for the dementia care-market that provides residents of nursing and elderly homes with an audio-visual experience in their own familiar environment. This specific approach in the dementia-care to make clients feel more comfortable when they are restless is among care-givers internationally known by the Dutch word ‘snoezelen’. In more professional terms also referred to as ‘multi-sensory stimulation’, which can be defined as an approach that actively stimulates the senses of hearing, touch, vision and smell in a resident-oriented, non-threatening environment. More and more nursing and care homes are investing in a multi-sensory room. This is a specific room laid out with audio-visual equipment meant as a tool for the care-giver to increase the well-being of their residents and clients. Such a room has limited capacity and is not available to the other residents when occupied. Also at night time when residents tend to be more restless this room is often not used.



The Dutch company developed a mobile solution which can turn every room into a multi-sensory room when needed. This way the residents are able to ‘snoezel’ in every thinkable situation: individually in the privacy of their own room or collectively with other residents in a shared living room or during dinner in the shared dining room. This easy-to-use solution enables care-givers to increase the well-being of their residents in a very effective way for every situation. It plays an important role in care intervention and connects to the personal experience and mindset of the residents. Through these personalized audio-visual experiences, residents feel more at ease and relaxed, leading to a reduced demand for care. This way, the care-giver can pay more attention to other residents and activities. Healthcare institutions are investigating how the product might serve as an alternative to medication that is currently used for restless residents during day- and nighttime.  



To ensure the developed solution fits the needs of the care-giver and appeals to the residents, the Dutch company works closely together with care-providers and -institutions, as well as informal/voluntary care-givers, their clients and their families. For the partners they are looking for in this profile the company wants to stick to this same approach. The product offers general content (images, sounds, music and videos) developed in close cooperation with healthcare institutions but can be personalized by family of residents as well. By personalizing the content, a higher level of family participation and involvement in and a better understanding of the care-giving process is ensured, which contributes to care-givers being more effective and feeling more rewarding. 



With their product being used in 30% of all nursing and care homes in the Netherlands, the company is market-leader in their home-market and they are looking to expand their business to Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the UK. The company is looking for a technical cooperation agreement with non-profit healthcare related centres of expertise, associations and knowledge centres that engage in the dissemination and implementation of good practices in the field of dementia-care. The Dutch SME wants to collaborate with these partners in order to improve the dementia-care in the targeted countries as they already do in the Netherlands.

Expertise sought

The company is looking to work with non-profit healthcare related centres of expertise, associations and knowledge centres that engage in the dissemination and implementation of good practices in the field of dementia-care. The partner sought needs to have a good understanding of the local healthcare practices in the targeted countries and needs to have an active network in specifically the elderly and dementia care.

By sharing each other's technical, cultural and care-related expertise and insights, the Dutch company will be able to adapt their product in order to have a perfect fit with the local care-market needs.

Stage Of Development

Already on the market

Requested partner

The company is looking for a technical cooperation agreement with non-profit healthcare related centres of expertise, associations and knowledge centres that engage in the dissemination and implementation of good practices in the field of dementia-care. In the Netherlands close cooperations have already been established to such non-profit organisations (like Alzheimer Netherlands and Vilans). Together with these organisations the company developed validated expertise and insights. This is not only used to enhance the company’s products but it is also shared with care-providers and –institutions in order to provide them with relevant knowledge to tackle daily challenges and to improve the care-giving process.  



The company wants to follow this same approach with the partners sought in this profile. These partners need to have a good understanding of the local healthcare practices in the targeted countries and needs to have an active network in specifically the elderly and dementia care. By cooperating with these partners and sharing each other’s expertise and insights, the Dutch company hopes to learn and get a better understanding of the specific characteristics of dementia-care in the targeted countries on cultural, personal and care-aspects. That way the company hopes to improve the dementia-care in the targeted countries as they already do in the Netherlands.

Dissemination Countries

Austria, Switzerland, Germany, United Kingdom