Rehabilitation reinvented for the elderly at home
To stay independent and active, the elderly need enough balance and physical strength to manage their daily activities. The required regular and versatile physical activity has been put together in a revolutionary new rehabilitation system by the EU-funded RemoRehab project. “We have developed a novel business model built on individual empowerment, the pervasive use of new technologies and new ways of caring,” explains Anna Khotina, CEO of Physilect, the RemoRehab coordinating company. Motivation through instant visual feedback and progress tracking To promote patient empowerment, these successful new tools incorporate entertainment via gaming and relevant physical rehabilitation, which together bring about self-motivation. The rehabilitation programme is first designed and individually tailored by a rehabilitation professional for each patient during face-to-face sessions. “When used by a patient at home, Physilect works like a smart mirror,” says Satu Nousiainen, physiotherapist with the Fysios Lappeenranta clinic where Physilect was tested. In addition to visual feedback, it provides active guidance during movements to help users visualise actions for pattern control. “Our approach to home-based rehabilitation – guidance from the virtual assistant and remote supervision by a professional physiotherapist – disrupts current practices both in the public and private sector,” Khotina continues. Stakeholder involvement a crucial factor Key to a better fit to market needs and business model validation was to engage stakeholders in co-development of the elements of the Physilect system. Dissemination of the details of the new approach among organisations providing rehabilitation services and professional communities is crucial to its wider acceptance by the market. The updated value proposition is tailored to the different market segments. There are corresponding updates to the product offering and pricing for a better match with market practices and customer expectations. “Moreover, we have seen an increased visibility among potential customers and a much deeper engagement with key market actors and stakeholders,” adds Khotina. Major impact on three fronts The main clinical impact of Physilect is motor control, or the ability of the person to manage movement. From an economic point of view, it’s now possible to scale the professional expertise and resources of a physiotherapist to a greater number of patients. “Crucial to healthcare on a national and global scale, the main impact on society will be better physical condition of people generally and increased quality of life as a result of instant professional feedback when training at home,” stresses Khotina. Reinvented rehabilitation programme for an extended market Phase 1 of the project involved rehabilitation for seniors. “The feedback collected through pilots helped us to define the list of required improvements, and many of these changes were already implemented during and immediately after the project,” Khotina comments. Another angle tackled by RemoRehab was that of a virtual balance board, which allows a full range of balance-related measurements and tests (both standard and custom) without any wearable sensors or platform hardware as well as sensor-less measurements of human body biomechanics during exercise or movement. “We are interested in further developing these applications and will cooperate with any partners from the EU,” the Physilect CEO emphasises. Khotina sums up the success of RemoRehab: “We got our first paying customers right after our Phase 1 of the project. In addition, we were invited to participate in two EU-wide initiatives in the field of rehabilitation technology. So we will keep developing our product and looking for new applications for our technology.”
Keywords
RemoRehab, rehabilitation, Physilect, elderly, remote supervision, motor control
