Dragon backs Health Buddy plan for elderly

NORMALLY a formidable member of TVs Dragon’s Den, Gavin Duffy’s fire was replaced with a smile as he prepared to launch a new way of health care designed especially for older people.

“This is the future,” he said after seeing technology that has been developed in the top two age-related research centres based in Louth.

The county is one of 33 places locations around the world that meet the criteria of the World Health Organisation’s age-friendly cities network.

Mr Duffy is chairing the Age-Friendly Business Forum in Louth, which launches its action plan today.

“We are way ahead of the game here, and instead of cursing the darkness of the recession, here people are instead doing things,” he added.

The Health Buddy technology, already in use in Dundalk, is credited with helping to save two lives.

It is now introducing the Home Sweet Home project, where 60 houses in the county will be fitted with interactive touchscreens and allow people with acute conditions to be monitored interactively in their own homes via Bluetooth technology.

Similar software in the US saw a 61% reduction in hospital admissions in the over 65s during a two-year trial period.

According to Stuart Quinn, finance manager of the Netwell Centre in Dundalk, it could mean represent a saving of up to €38m a year for the HSE by freeing up beds in the two acute hospitals in the region

In 2008, there were 125,445 emergency bed days in the north-east region for 12,458 patient cases over 65 suffering from hypertension, coronary heart disease, strokes or diabetes, with each person experiencing an average length of stay of 10 days.

At an average cost of €632 per night without treatment, the average cost to the state for these bed days is €79.39m per annum.

In comparison, the Health Buddy system costs €400 per month to run, offers substantial savings in hospital admission costs and has already saved two lives in Dundalk due to the early detection of strokes.

“Experience in the US has found that community-based care systems cut the annual rate of admissions by up to 63%, as well as providing the social benefits of living at home in preference to either an acute or long-term care setting,” said Rodd Bond of the Netwell Centre.

According to Mr Duffy, “60% of disposable income is with the over 55s. If we market ourselves to that age group and have a genuine offer [for it] we have a real opportunity to create a terrific product”.

Mr Duffy said if what is being done in Louth had been a business idea pitched to him in Dragon’s Den he would “definitely have invested in it”.