Better quality of life thanks to renovation and technology

Together, they have 43 years of experience on the counter, Martin de Gier as manager of the newly renovated De Merenhoef care home in Maarssen, the Netherlands, and Saskia Gentenaar, formerly in charge of care planning, and now pharmacy manager.

Comprehensive makeover

In 2020, De Merenhoef was thoroughly renovated, resulting in a state-of-the-art care facility. ‘The building was adapted to all new legal obligations and made futureproof again, but we also had an eye for how our residents, caregivers and the neighbourhood can meet each other,’ says Martin de Gier.

What did the care home’s makeover entail? More spacious rooms, but also larger bathrooms with higher toilets. And further: handholds, no more doorsteps, wider doors and, above all, more living rooms where people can meet in groups of ten.

‘Such a living room is a meeting place, but still small-scale, as it also has a kitchen that is used for the more intimate moment of dinner. Lunch is served for the residents in the large restaurant, where neighbourhood residents are also welcome,’ says Martin. ‘Also, our corridors are now air-conditioned and we now have our own physiotherapy room. Previously, residents had to go to town for that. We now also have our own pharmacy with emergency supplies.’

Smart home

‘The key contribution of infrastructure to the well-being of our residents is that it allows them to continue their habits. We have an open building, where our people can move freely. That is important to feel good and free,’ Martin explains. ‘We are constantly looking for how to offer our residents as much autonomy and freedom as possible. That always requires customisation.’ Therefore, all residents are given a wristband with a personalised chip that indicates where residents can go according to their care needs. Should a person with dementia try to leave the building, caregivers can intervene immediately. There are also smart sensors in the rooms that indicate during the night shift when someone falls out of bed.

Eliminating worries to provide better care

‘Our core mission is to care for and monitor the well-being of our residents,’ says Saskia Gentenaar. ‘Aedifica’s expertise unburdened us in upgrading the building so that we could continue to concentrate on what is important to us: providing quality care. Quick response in case of heating or lighting malfunctions that are identified via a remote monitoring system also takes worries out of our hands. So all we have to do is screw in new lights!’ Saskia calls this ‘well-being for care staff’. ‘This allows us to get more involved in providing care to improve our residents’ quality of life.’