The Center for Digital Innovation (CDI) is launching what it claims is the world's first innovation laboratory designed to meet the challenges facing today's senior citizens. The laboratory is on CDI's premises in Beersheva. It was established at an investment of NIS 5 million, in collaboration with the National Insurance Institute of Israel, the Beersheva Municipality, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, JDC, and Amal & Beyond Group.
The lab will take on the increasingly complex challenges of today's elderly population, and those resulting from the prolongation of our lives. Among the startup companies, already active within the lab are: TV platforms designed to improve the communication process between the elderly and their families, a wireless monitoring platform for those requiring nursing care, alerting care givers when the patients may have fallen down or if they are experiencing such symptoms as depression or infections.
The lab was officially launched today. It offers a full simulation of a senior citizen's living environment, including various medical aspects, welfare, family ties etc. It will enable its users to deal with multidisciplinary challenges, mapped out by the parties involved, such as the National Insurance Institute, the JDC, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Welfare, the Ministry of Social Equality, the Beersheva Municipality and Ben Gurion University.
Among the challenges already charted out are prevention of falls, alleviating loneliness, preventing deterioration in those whose functionalities are already limited, treatment of pain, and new technologies designed to assist in basic domestic activities like bathing and using the toilet.
The lab will operate according to an innovative, integrated methodology developed at CDI, which allows for an ecosystem of partners to find new, innovative solutions, whether technological, methodological or social. These solutions will be tested in the lab and piloted in the city of Beersheva. Depending on their level of their success, the newly created solutions will be further implemented on a municipal and on a state level.
Izik Sabato, fund manager at The National Insurance Institute, said, "Looking at the current and future outcomes of prolonged life expectancy, and its effects on the wellbeing of senior citizens, through nursing funds and special operating funds, the National Insurance Institute Funds has teamed up with CDI, in the building of the innovation lab for senior citizens. This unique lab is a first of its kind, designed to cope with the multi-systemic challenges facing senior citizens today, in all of their life experiences. This by means of simulating their life environment, in order to develop new and better services and solutions, to solve their adversities and to ensure a better social future."
CDI co-founder Boaz Gur Lavie said, "The innovation lab we have established in the Negev, is a first of its kind in the entire world. The prolonged life expectancy of today's 3rd and 4th aged senior citizens has brought upon us new challenges. The market for these initiatives is huge and holds great potential. Now we are simply giving a chance to the great minds of our startup nation, to prove their capabilities in this area as well."
Among the startups and innovative projects already operating in the lab are:
UniperCare - a TV platform designed to improve the communication process between the elderly and their families.
BetterCare - an application designed to provide caregivers at nursing homes and centers precise information and a means of monitoring the quality of the care they provide.
Vitalerter - a wireless, monitoring platform which monitors heart rate and the respiratory system. The system provides alerts when it identifies potential falls, infections, depression, anxiety, and general deterioration in the patient's state.
HEALTHYIO- A home urine testing kit that produces test results within minutes and provides the results to the patient's physician using a smartphone camera.
Story- a digital timeline platform, designed to let senior citizens tell their life stories and share them with their loved ones.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 21, 2017
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