Digital for the elderly

Care homes

Exchanging ideas, maintaining links with loved ones, having fun, preserving autonomy... All these actions are possible today thanks to the many opportunities offered by digital technology. Innovations that are gradually making their way into retirement homes. To the delight of our elderly.

For several years now, new technologies have entered the field of personal services. And they are arriving in particular in retirement homes, to improve the quality of life and support for residents and facilitate the work of care teams. Digital is not just for young people. The results of the Korian Foundation's 2020 barometer illustrate this by showing a fairly strong increase in the use of digital tools since 2018. 72% of the over 65 years old use emails at least once a week (+6% compared to 2018), 53% use social networks (+12% compared to 2018) and almost 49% (+2% compared to 2018) use these tools to manage their finances.

Connected rooms, to promote comfort and the link with relatives

Many retirement homes have jumped on the digitalization bandwagon. Both to improve the comfort and autonomy of the elderly and to maintain the link with their families. At the Korian Les Catalaunes nursing home (Châlons-en-Champagne, 51) and the Castel Voltaire nursing home (Chatillon, 92), a box located in the rooms allows residents to call their relatives directly by video and receive photos. All this is made possible by a television screen and a simplified remote control. The rooms are also equipped with home automation to allow residents to control the roller shutters, program the temperature of the room and the intensity of the lights according to the time of day, taking into account the living habits and feelings of the residents. In order to ensure the safety of our elderly, a device is also being deployed in our Korian establishments to prevent falls in rooms. This device consists of a sensor that alerts the caregivers in the event of a fall or failure to return to bed within a certain period. The nursing staff has continuous information and can intervene quickly to assist the resident when necessary.

Experiencing travel without travelling

Digital technology can also innovate in the field of leisure. Visit Venice, embark on a cruise on the Seine, discover the works of Van Gogh... four laser video-projectors broadcast images from all over the world on a giant screen, in ultra high definition. An immersive experience that can disorientate, move or soothe.

To explore even further from their seats, our residents can travel and carry out various spectacular activities, thanks to Virtual Reality headsets.

 

"These digital innovations are clearly an a advantage. It can be said that they make life easier, improve comfort, provide enjoyable moments and can even be therapeutic, notably by helping to improve mood and reduce anxiety.But above all, they help maintain the link with loved ones, even when the family is far away or visits are more complicated to organise," explains Laetitia Toussaint-Leconte, psychologist at the Castel Voltaire nursing home in Châtillon (92).