Digital solutions that bring inclusivity
Vitalis and Fontys University of Applied Sciences ICT have joined forces to ensure that residents quickly feel at home at the location. On July 1, the first resident, Bep van Tiggelhove, 83 years old, independently explored her home location by means of QR codes. These codes took her directly to information about the restaurant, the chapel or the library, for example. In the near future, this will help residents to discover their new home independently.
De Horst-Kronehoef offers extra care and support for the elderly, but is essentially designed for independent living. Because of the size of the location and the wide range of facilities and activities, it is sometimes difficult for residents to find their way and have a good overview of everything there is to see, do and experience within the location. Together with teachers and students of Fontys Hogeschool ICT, the Vitalis Welfare & Activities team joined forces to ensure that the residents quickly feel at home.
Digitally on the road
Various solutions were explored and weighed up. The idea of a digital tour stuck. It fits well with the independent and free exploration of the new place. A solution for getting to know the location also had to do justice to this, explains Els van Wolfswinkel, coordinator of Welfare and Activities: "At Vitalis we want to contribute to a beautiful old age. Doing what you want, doing it yourself and participating are central to this. Going out independently and feeling at home are essential to this.
The location has many facilities, such as a restaurant, shopping arcade, chapel, exercise room and library. By providing these with QR codes, it is possible for residents to find out more about these places, their function, history and the activities that take place there at any time (for example, celebrations in the chapel or activities in the meeting room). A specially developed flyer also contains a map of the location on which the QR codes can be found, so that the tour can be followed from the comfort of your own home! A perfect solution, especially in the middle of a pandemic.
Making a technical story easily accessible
Most smartphones are equipped with a QR scanner. This takes the user directly to the desired online information in the form of videos and stories. This provides a mixed reality experience that helps residents get a feel for their new home. And if they are unable to do so themselves, a Vitalis buddy is available.
Behind the scenes, of course, much more was needed. Short films were developed, visual material was collected from the archives, QR codes were generated, tablets were set up and a floor plan was developed. Angela Wellink, coordinator of Welfare and Activities at Vitalis De Horst/Kronehoef, Elmira Drost, ICT & Infrastructure student and Lisanne Verbeet and Benjamin ten Hove, students from the Fontys ICT video crew, put in a lot of hours. In short, a project of considerable size in which the cooperation between Fontys, Vitalis and external sources proved successful.
First digital tour
On 1 July, the first digital tour took place. Bep van Tiggelhove, 83, was given the opportunity to make a digital acquaintance with De Horst-Kronehoef. Van Wolfswinkel hopes that many more will follow: "I would like to see the guided tour used in the future for students, new employees, visitors, informal carers and partners in the neighbourhood such as WIJeindhoven. By sharing knowledge within these kinds of collaborations, we can strengthen each other and together create these kinds of beautiful projects." The tour is free to follow. Residents or family members who would like assistance can contact the Vitalis Welfare and Activities team at De Horst-Kronehoef.
Fontys For Society
Contributing to collaborations that enable a sustainable, inclusive and vital society lies at the heart of Fontys' strategy. This project with Vitalis fits perfectly with that; an institute-transcending project in which knowledge is used to improve society. Mark de Graaf, lecturer interaction design at Fontys, agrees: "We see a digital gap developing in society. We see it as our task to explore solutions for this. This project gave us the opportunity to use low-threshold interaction to make digital information accessible to a group that is often left out. By applying our knowledge across the organisation, we are contributing to a more inclusive society."
About location De Horst-Kronehoef
The WoonincPlusVitalis location De Horst-Kronehoef contains more than 500 rental flats for senior citizens. This makes this location the largest location of Vitalis. As an anchor point for the neighbourhood, Vitalis WoonZorggroep not only offers care, but also many facilities and activities for residents and their families.