“Elderly people are not acculturated to digital, poses Alain Tixier. In addition to the lack of comfort, there are issues of health, motor skills, vision and osteoarthritis. When you have sensitivity or cognitive problems, it’s complicated to use these tactile tools.”
A situation that the Riviera inventor experienced up close. “My mother couldn’t use a tablet because she had no sensitivity in her fingers”he remembers.
“When we don’t use a tablet, smartphone or computer, it creates isolation and social exclusion. However, when we no longer have interaction we lose our ground.”
Alain Tixier
The difficulty in using digital tools puts women and men in a loss of autonomy and in a situation of illiteracy. A problem that affects more than 7 million elderly people in France.
Faced with this observation, the Riviera inventor then sought a solution and developed, in 2017, the “Viktor Cushion”.
A connected cushion: a simple and adapted tool
“I wanted to offer a simple and reassuring device. This cushion is soft, the technology disappears so as not to frighten. For its design, we worked with occupational therapists, psychomotor therapists, neuropsychiatrists.“
Easy to hold, this flexible tablet is connected via Bluetooth to the living room television.
“They use it a bit like a remote control,” he continues.
Progress must be adapted to each individual’s abilities.
If they want to communicate with a loved one, all they have to do is press the “video call” button. The cushion vibrates to indicate that the action has been taken into account. The elderly person can thus communicate with their children or grandchildren who appear on their television screen.
They have the possibility of sending him photos or messages.
“In order to communicate with her, they just need to download the Viktor application,” specifies Alain Tixier.
To benefit from this equipment, you must pay a first monthly payment of €89.99 then €29.99/month.
Communicate, entertain, alert
Other services have also been connected to this cushion: such as access to audio books, films, but also remote assistance.
“By pressing the contact me icon, the elderly person can report that they are not feeling well. If one of their family members cannot reach them, after a minute it triggers remote assistance.”
This tool behaves like a hub that can also retrieve health data from the elderly person. “For example, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, etc. are transmitted to healthcare professionals. Thus, the Martinique University Hospital monitors beneficiaries at home using our cushion,” he explains.
Who uses the cushion?
“On average our users are between 75 and 100 years old,” continues Alain Tixier.
They use this object at home or in retirement homes.
“We have more than 1,300 active users every day. And 23,000 people who use the applications, these are family members of the elderly person who create an account to be able to be connected to their loved one via the cushion.”
