“Out of over a million chronically ill people with dementia, 3 million are the numbers in the world of caregivers. Contemporaneity forces us to look at these data and to think with which solutions to face them. And we cannot ignore those innovations that the digital world has made us aware of. I think it’s the only way to manage those numbers. Obviously in an intelligent way, with algorithms and aids that digital brings, but without forgetting that human relationship that makes the difference. The human touch. “It was to explain it today Elena Zambon, president of Zambon Spatoday during a meeting sponsored by his start-up Careapt, dedicated to the development of digital health solutions for people with chronic diseases. A moment of confrontation between clinicians who are experts in dementia, companies, corporate welfare professionals.
Under the lens the scenarios that are opening up on the wave of the digital revolution, with the aim of understanding how technology can make the challenge of chronicity sustainable, even for companies, considering that in the workforce of any production reality there is a growing share of ‘dependent caregivers’. “We are asked why a pharmaceutical company invests in digital health. Because we do not believe it is possible to break the two themes – argues Zambon – There are a whole series of pathologies that are travel companions we have to deal with “. Caregivers are around us, he points out, and they live this experience.” a situation of social change that leads families to decrease in numbers, caregivers are the children, often only children. People and illnesses have to be taken care of. And therefore Zambon thought it was necessary not only to deal with molecules but also with supports, ways in which we relate to patients and with doctors, nurses and people who revolve around these patients “.
The Pnrr, continues the president of the pharmaceutical group, “opens up prospects and the pandemic has shown how important it is to create synergy to tackle any pathology, but in particular chronic ones“. As for Zambon’s path,” in 2008 we approached this world by taking ItaliAssistenza, a reality that had anticipated the topic of home care. Ten years later, in 2018, Careapt was born, which made us understand how to renew “this theme. The start-up launched in 2020 ParkinsonCare, a specialist tele-nursing service dedicated to people with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers. over 700 patients and the goal was also to prevent them from ending up in hospital “in those terrible months” dominated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Today the company launches DemedyaCare, a remote assistance and tele-rehabilitation solution designed to support the caregivers of people with dementia in everyday life with the aim of supporting and enabling them through an ‘occupational coaching’ program. “I think the union of technologies and tools combined with the human aspect is the balance that we must seek – concludes Zambon – I remember a sentence that a collaborator said and it struck me a lot: I don’t think any of us wants to die in the arms of a robot. Our effort is to define the technical professionalism made up of skills, but also the human touch that can make the difference. We have all lived experiences with a loved one, with parents who may have needed it. I think the time has come to think about how to relieve young people of the burden “of caring for loved ones with complex diseases such as dementia.
“They can’t do it alone and maintain an active life and a daily life of work.” Some companies “have tried to understand how to solve. I like to think that this sensitivity is now a common heritage and that these two worlds talk to each other”.