Unorthodox solutions to ageing

The fact that the care sector is going to be affected by ageing is no longer a point for discussion. About possible solutions for current and future ageing-related problems there is still a lot of debate, but the care sector agrees on one thing at least: we should be creative and think outside the box.

This was the central message put forward by the speakers at the ‘Ageing Tomorrow, Innovation Today’ seminar PricewaterhouseCoopers organised on November the 11th, 2008 as part of a farewell celebration for PwC care sector specialist Wim Oosterom (pictured here). A prime example of such a creative solution is the Parc Hoogland project in the municipality of Sittard-Geleen. Parc Hoogland is a so-called care landscape. It houses a residential care complex and a multi-facility centre that provides an array of services to both residents of the care facility and the community as a whole, including the pupils and staff of a nearby primary school. The services on offer include physical therapy, diet counselling and obstetrics, but the centre is also home to a supermarket and a restaurant. The Parc Hoogland project was launched by care provider Orbis in collaboration with various other parties.

Community

Orbis board member Guus Broos explained that ageing is an important catalyst for change when it comes to developing these integrated community concepts. The province of Limburg is facing population drain, vacant housing and home care workers who are unable to be everywhere they are supposed to be. At the same time, the demographic cornerstones that underpin many resources and services are beginning to crumble. This not only negatively affects the elderly, but other age groups as well. Broos explained that in a so-called community setting, services are often purchased and coordinated collectively. “If you don’t join forces, local communities will shrink until there is nothing left of them. Ultimately, we’ll all be forced to move to another province, figuratively speaking.”

PlayStation

Another advocate for unorthodox solutions and thinking outside the box was trend watcher Adjiedj Bakas, who had been invited to the seminar to boost discussion. He called on the participants to “put an end to political correctness”. Bakas referred to the panache with which Kennedy announced his plans in 1962 to launch a US mission to the moon, without knowing what the astronauts would find when they got there. He also mentioned the example of a Japanese insurance company that is using PlayStations to sell pensions to the young and he discussed the advent of robot nurses and surgical robots that are capable of performing certain nursing tasks and medical procedures. “Innovations like these make care exciting and tie in seamlessly with ageing-related issues.”

Panache

According to departing PwC partner Wim Oosterom, the technology to innovate care often already exists, but the results can be disappointing. There are numerous causes: lack of a proper business case, lack of cooperation from professionals, lack of financial incentives for innovation. Van Oostrom: “Typically there are some small initiatives that are successful but they often fail to expand into large-scale projects. This results in the formation of small, new organisations next to existing larger ones.” Van Oosterom expressed his admiration for Orbis. “It’s hard to realise change. You need a vision and you need to set clear goals. As decision-makers, you have to be on top of things. You are nowhere without panache.”