Over the past few decades medical, economic, and social developments have resulted in a substantial increase in life expectancy in many countries, while at the same time birth rates have declined. These changing demographics present real challenges for society, challenges that require innovative solutions, particularly around the care of our ageing populations. Ilogs, the Austrian-based European e-health specialist, is tackling these challenges and filling the care gap by digitalizing care, which means they offer professional digital care and a digital system that supports care processes.
“The main question we ask ourselves is: ‘What can digital systems and devices do for people living at home who need care – and how can we support both them and their caregivers?’,” says Andreas Jansa, Director Ilogs UK. “With Ilogs solutions, people receive better care, but we also support the care system in delivering better care. This is crucial as baby boomers age – more people need care and there are less people to deliver that care, both because of declining birth rates but also because the caregivers themselves are getting older, which creates a domino effect that results in shortages of care workers. This is where digitalization is so important.”
While Ilogs can’t be compared with real human contact, their digital solutions allow people to monitor things like blood pressure or blood sugar levels daily, rather than waiting for their caregiver’s weekly visit. The patient checks these things with their online consultant via Ilogs’ ‘Alexa of Care’ tablet, which sends an alert fifteen minutes before the consultation so the patient can get ready. When the Alexa of Care rings, the patient picks up and the consultant takes them through testing blood pressure, measuring blood sugar or anything else that needs to be done.
“Having the consultant guide them means we can make sure everything is done correctly,” says Andreas Jansa. “Additionally, in some cases, there are regulations that require the tests are done with a consultant on video because that video acts as a record that the tests were done and that they were done properly. This also covers medication – it helps ensure that everything is done safely and correctly.
“Social isolation is also a massive issue these days. More than a third of people living in the EU live alone and this has been shown to be very unhealthy for your mental wellness, which has a direct impact on your physical health. So, our ‘Alexa of Care’ also puts people in contact with others in their community who may be facing similar challenges. We are only the transporter of information, the enabler – so we do things like assist municipalities in sending events and other information to people through our system to alleviate their loneliness. We are also integrating a shop where people can buy care-related items easily. All of this means we help people live at home longer and more independently with a higher quality of life.”
Ilogs is trying to do as few devices as possible, which means integrating different monitoring devices such as an oximeter, blood glucose monitoring, blood pressure monitoring into one device, something that will be very helpful for elderly people who have multiple challenges Ilogs also has a wearable, which can also do a lot than just step counting. And of course, safety is of course job number one when talking about connected care.
