Skip to main content

Marijke Hiem in the Netherlands

ABENA Nova from a user’s point of view

Caretaker Diana and resident Gieneke have implemented digital continence care at Marijke Hiem in the Netherlands.

61-year-old Gieneke experienced wet nights until her caretaker Diana introduced her to ABENA Nova. Gieneke and Diana now share their experience using smart incontinence products at the residential care location Marijke Hiem in the Netherlands.

Diana and Gieneke’s reason for using smart incontinence products

Due to her Multiple Sclerosis, Gieneke experiences difficulty with her mobility. She has a wheelchair and sleeps in a special bed that has a special ‘turning system’ which replaces the bedsheets automatically. To make the changing process less of a burden for her and the caretakers, Gieneke started using ABENA Nova.

In the beginning, Gieneke was skeptical about ABENA Nova. “My husband and I own a company in computer games and work with modern technology,” says Gieneke. “When I started using ABENA Nova, I saw the potential it could have. But I was hesitant: smart technology is as smart as the people who work with it.”

Still, Gieneke thinks it’s important to give smart incontinence products a chance. “If you can do something, that creates more peace for clients, and gives you [ABENA] the best practices of your product, and helps a lot of people too: yes, that’s when I think you should give something a chance.”

I wanted to try it out to see if and how it works. And mostly, I wanted to help Gieneke, so she wouldn’t have to wake up in a wet bed anymore. Not everyone sees the benefits of smart incontinence products right away, but it does make a difference for the resident.

Diana, Caretaker

How it is going using ABENA Nova

There have been many improvements since using ABENA Nova. Gieneke suffers less from leaks and her sleep has improved. Moreover, the care itself feels more pleasant now. “I always thought it was so impersonal. The night shift would wake me up, introduce themselves and immediately go check if I was wet. It’s not that I am embarrassed by it, but it just doesn’t feel personal. Now they don’t have to anymore, they just get a message from my pants.”

Gieneke is very happy with her smart incontinence product and often talks about it: “It’s not that I chat about it during lunch”, she says laughing. “But if people ask questions about it, I don’t mind telling how it works”.

Diana notices improvement as well, though it’s still challenging to implement this new way of working: “During the day, it’s still common to work with changing routines, even though we can just see on the phone when changing is required. But that means we do have to keep an eye on our phones.”

The key element to make ABENA Nova successful

The caregiver’s attitude towards ABENA Nova is a key element for the way to success. Despite Gieneke’s and Diana’s positive mindset, other colleagues are skeptical. Diana: “I can tell not everyone wants to work with smart incontinence products. They don’t believe it actually works”.

“When I heard about ABENA Nova for the first time, I was very excited”, Diana continues. “I wanted to try it out, to see if and how it works. And mostly, I wanted to help Gieneke, so she wouldn’t have to wake up in a wet bed anymore. Not everyone sees the benefits of smart incontinence products right away, but it does make a difference for the client.”

As for Gieneke, ABENA Nova is a great solution. Due to Diana’s personal approach, Gieneke feels like someone actually listens to her. And her issue, waking up in a wet bed, is solved. If you were to ask her if she would recommend the ABENA Nova, she is certain: “Yes, I am more at peace now. Everyone would want that right?”

Do you want to know more?

If you want to know more about sleep or if you have any questions about the contents of this article, please reach out to us. We’re happy to help!

Contact ABENA Nova

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.