Wonderkin UK talks to Care Sector Hub about providing convenience and confidence through technology for incontinence care…
The COVID pandemic has taught us that the ‘here and now’ is what matters most when it comes to caring for the elderly in residential and nursing care. Wonderkin UK is a digital incontinence pads and app company that is providing technical solutions to ensure a better quality of life for the elderly – while assisting care staff to prioritise more efficiently, and with efficacy.
Wonderkin UK, sets the bar higher as it was created to combine, not just form and function, but safety and security for both caregiver and receiver. We caught up with Managing Director, of Wonderkin UK, Marites Allen to tell us why the digital pads elevate way above the status quo and provideg convenience and confidence through digital technology.
Q: How does the Nice Care Smart Incontinence pads and monitoring system work, and how does it enable better care in care homes and elderly facilities?
Marites Allen: Smart phones (Smart Mobile Devices) are used as the medium to which it sets alarms and then signals a disruption in the homeostatic condition or the patient. Unlike regular brands, that mainly function as only a pad, Wonderkin’s Bluetooth feature makes safety precautions a function by providing a Real-Time Alert. No other pads/continence aids currently offer this.
With the Nice Care Smart Incontinence aids Real-Time Monitoring Technology and Bluetooth enable sensors, Wonderkin offer carers in elderly care facilities to be notified of the patient’s void, sleeping posture, and inactivity in real-time, hence, effectively easing the caregiving process, especially with regards to pressure care.
Our latest technology, the ‘Wondermom’ smart baby diapers, and ‘Wonderfolks’ smart elderly incontinence aids have mobile applications that send you instant alerts when required, letting you monitor users’ conditions from anywhere, at any time. Best of all, they are 70% biodegradable, and give those facilities who use it, a better corporate, social and economic responsibility to the environment.
Marites Allen, Wonderkin UK Managing Director during the Dementia and Nursing Home Care Expo at NEC Birmingham
Q: What are the benefits of a smart incontinence aid and why do you think it is needed?
Marites Allen: Our smart solutions significantly improve the quality of care for users, while reducing the multi-tasking role experienced by carers. It helps cut caregiving costs for nursing homes and families, and it gives people more dignity in care homes, as they are not constantly checked, but instead efficiently monitored on whether they need changing or not. Furthermore, the product itself is eco-friendly – as we minimise the use of disposable wastes during production and help avoid waste by maximising the effectiveness of each pad – changes are only being done when necessary, and for those residents who require additional care due to skin irritations and pressure care. The wetness-sensing technology adopted in our products has been granted patents in the USA, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and application is being prepared in Europe.
Q: How safe is the smart incontinence aid on the skin? Are there any precautionary measure contraindications, as it utilises mobile devices and sensors? Does using Bluetooth in the incontinence aids pose any dangers?
Marites Allen: The wetness indicator on each incontinence aids is created from carbon-sensing ink made of carbon. Carbon is a natural chemical and rarely causes any sensitivity issues. Moreover, the conductive ink line printed on the diaper (outer) layer is not directly in contact with the skin. Our product has passed the 2002/95/EC Directive in terms of chemical uses and it is made from high quality raw material imported from Japan, Germany and the U.S. It is regularly tested against QB/T 2493, GB 15979 standards, CE and FDA certified. Bluetooth embedded in the sensor has proven no harm to adults’ health. Wi-Fi used in the alarm has lower radiation than that used in smartphones.
Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances (~10m). Hence compared to a mobile phone that needs to be continuously connected to a tower that could be miles away, Bluetooth will emit significantly less energy, thus less radiation. Consequently, it does not pose any danger to the user.
Q: How do you address data protection, and that data is being stored securely with a product and application like this in chronic care management?
Marites Allen: We are employing Amazon Web Services (AWS) as our Cloud System provider, which adopts world-class, highly secure data centres utilising state-of-the-art electronic surveillance and multi-factor access control systems. Also, different access rights are given to various account types within our system, including super admin, general admin, nursing home, nursing home manager and nurse accounts. The data transmission from the sensor to the hub is encrypted and contains no client data.
The future of infant and elderly care seems bright, and with a safe technological component creatively added – the first of its kind – this emerging technology definitely brings the latest innovative solutions to every family and is also redefining caregiving in residential nursing and care homes.
For more information visit: www.wonderkin.co.uk
