Experiences of ABENA Nova
In this article, José van den Langenberg and Ine van Gestel from the care group Elde Maasduinen in the Netherlands share their experiences with the use of ABENA Nova. How did they approach this pilot project and how are they managing the implementation of digital incontinence care?
What do residents and employees think of ABENA Nova? Does the digital incontinence product live up to their expectations? And how do you implement healthcare innovation in practice? José van den Langenberg (caregiver) and Ine van Gestel (caregiver) who acted as "ambassadors" during the pilot project with ABENA Nova share their experiences.
What does your role as an ambassador really mean?
José: “First and foremost to enthuse the team. But there is no difficult task here. Everyone wanted to cooperate and most employees didn't really need to be persuaded.”
Ine: "In the beginning, we sometimes had to explain what the added value was. Then we encouraged them to just try it for a couple of weeks and eventually everyone became enthusiastic.”
When did you decide to work with ABENA Nova? And why?
José: “Actually, we already started working on it two years ago. We were looking for the best possible way to manage incontinence care on the ward. For people with dementia, every time you take them to the toilet is a stimulus, especially if it turns out to be for nothing. We don't want to burden people unnecessarily. We care about the well-being of our residents.”
Ine: "We had not yet heard of ABENA Nova, but came across it when we started searching on the internet. Our innovation department then took it further and came back to us last summer with the idea of conducting a pilot with ABENA Nova.”
"You don't want to stimulate anxious people by taking them to the toilet unnecessarily. For bedridden residents, unnecessary changes can lead to feelings of shame, sadness or anger.”
- Ine van Gestel, caregiver and NOVA ambassador at Zorggroep Elde Maasduinen
How do you start such a pilot project?
José: "There are 32 residents in this area, 16 of which are in our own ward, Vlaspit. When we started the pilot project, we had more residents here who qualified for digital incontinence aids than in the other ward, Vlasblom. That's why we started in our department. The first step was to make an initial calculation together with ABENA.”
Can you already say something about the advantages of ABENA Nova?
José: “We have already had an evaluation. The graphs show that fewer changes are required per day. As a result, the consumption of incontinence products is also less. Previously, we had to make three extra beds per day; this has become significantly less now. All this saves time. But above all, ABENA Nova has done a lot of good for the residents' well-being."
"By adapting the time for changing the incontinence product to the resident, you can really provide personalized care."
- Ine van Gestel, caregiver and NOVA ambassador at Zorggroep Elde Maasduinen
Can you give concrete examples of how ABENA Nova has improved the residents' well-being?
Ine: "We have a resident who really enjoys participating in activities. In the past, we often had to cancel activities in advance because we didn't know if there might be an accident. At half past ten it was time to go to the toilet. Now we can see in the Nova app if it can wait another hour and she can instead continue with the activity.”
José: "There are also two residents who only use incontinence products at night. Their beds were often wet in the morning, or we had to wake them up for a change at night whether it was needed or not. If they urinate in their sleep now, you immediately see what is the best course of action. Orange? Then it's not so dangerous and you can let them sleep. RED? Then we switch right away, even if it's 3 a.m. At least they avoid a wet bed in the morning. Those who work the night shift can also start a washing machine immediately, which means that instead there is time for extra care in the morning."
Ine: "You don't want to stimulate anxious people by taking them to the toilet unnecessarily. For bedridden residents, unnecessary changes can lead to feelings of shame, sadness or anger. So yes, fewer unnecessary changes will result in more time, but above all better care.”
Tell us a little more about the time savings. What do you do with the time you save? You regularly hear from healthcare professionals that time slips through the fingers. What is your experience with it?
José (laughing): “We have no problem with that, you know. The time we save we spend on the well-being of the residents. Taking those extra ten minutes in the morning to sit on the edge of the bed and talk a little. Going out together for a while. Or playing a game, because you don't have to make a clean bed in those three extra beds. No, we made that shift quickly.”
"We spend the time we save on the well-being of the residents."
- José van den Langenberg, caregiver and NOVA ambassador at Zorggroep Elde Maasduinen
Speaking of shift: introducing ABENA Nova also requires a different way of working. How lucky