Interactive health mirror: This is how Goslar's seniors stay vital!

Interactive health mirror: This is how Goslar's seniors stay vital!

At the Asklepios Schildautal Clinic in Seesen, the geriatric department is expecting exciting innovations. The head doctor of geriatrics, Olga Magdea, and the nursing department manager Regina Wand presented the innovative “Hello Mirror”. This interactive health system is developed specifically for the older generation and is intended to help seniors make their everyday lives more active and healthier. Through touch or voice commands, users have the opportunity to access a variety of programs tailored to their needs. From physiotherapeutic exercises to memory training and mindfulness exercises - the result is a varied everyday life that helps promote cognitive and motor skills.

The use of the “Hello Mirror” not only promises to improve the quality of life for seniors, but also relieves the burden on nursing staff by making everyday nursing care more efficient. The more regularly the system is used, the greater the positive effects on the physical and mental health of older people. The current development in the field of geriatric care shows how important such initiatives are.

Growing demands on geriatrics

There are major challenges on the horizon. Demographic change will significantly increase the need for geriatric medical care in the coming years, especially as the baby boomer generation will soon reach the 75-year-old age group. Anecdotal evidence already shows that capacity in geriatric care is scarce. Just recently reported Medical Journal about the worrying situation: There is a blatant shortage of geriatric specialists and inadequate funding in this area.

The numbers speak for themselves: While the number of geriatric hospital beds increased by a full 99.5% to 18,121 between 1999 and 2017, the current infrastructure is not prepared for future requirements. By the middle of this decade, geriatric rehabilitation capacity would need to be expanded by around 25% to meet growing needs. Current waiting lists for geriatric rehabilitation often result in patients having to wait up to 14 days for admission, making the situation critical in both rural and urban regions.

Perspectives for the future

The increasing numbers make it clear that geriatric care needs to be improved. Patients are getting older and often have several health problems at the same time. It is therefore crucial that existing treatment approaches are improved and funding secured. Numerous experts are calling for geriatrics to no longer be treated as a simple additional title, but rather to be recognized as an independent specialist area.

The developments at the Asklepios Schildautal Clinic with the “Hello Mirror” are a nice ray of hope in the midst of these challenges. It remains to be hoped that further innovations and better framework conditions will follow to make geriatric care sustainable. This is the only way to enable older generations to live an active and independent life. It is important to work together to promote appreciation and the necessary resources in geriatrics; After all, age is about our future.