Background
Living alone can make seniors and the disabled more anxious and isolated. In the past few years, Swedish startup Loopeli has emerged to allow seniors to connect with their family and friends through smarter technologies and solutions. Loopeli was founded in 2019 by Thomas Sidén after his father suffered a stroke that rendered him unable to communicate with his family. After finding a lack of effective solutions on the market, Sidén began developing an app customized to his father’s needs as a senior—magnified easy-to view images, loud audio and an intuitive interface with no log-in requirements. Today, Loopeli serves the entire EMEA market with the goal of helping as many families as possible to connect with their members who are senior or have disabilities. The business continually works towards driving down technical requirements to fit any tablet and ensure that the device can be used for the entire lifetime of its user.
Challenge
Many of Loopeli’s clients are care facilities such as nursing homes and assisted living centers. Initially, the company would provide Loopeli’s software only, and clients would then source their own fleet of devices from the market. Yet Loopeli quickly realized that customers preferred prepackaged solutions, leaving them to focus on what they did
best—providing care for their residents. Loopeli therefore needed to bundle their solution with the ideal device to best meet the needs of their senior and disabled users. Ease of use and simplicity of user experience were of paramount consideration to clients such as nursing homes and care centers. Buyers were charged with controlling this interface, so their key decision-making factor was not price, but rather the packaging of and ongoing support for the solution. As the business expands and grows its offerings, Loopeli woulda lso require a client with the global reach and capacity to scale up anywhere in EMEA and beyond, while delivering the software, tools and solutions necessary to enable quick and easy customization.
Solution
Loopeli turned to Lenovo due to the high level of engagement demonstrated from the account team. Loopeli was impressed with Lenovo’s exceptional and proactive service and commitment to co-create a solution that would best accommodate their narrow and select target group. While Lenovo’s pricing was competitive, its responsiveness to Loopeli’s needs proved to be the decisive factor. Loopeli saw in Lenovo’s solutions the future trajectory of their business—one where smarter technologies help make mobile device management hassle-free while bringing families closer together. Lenovo’s deep experience with tablet solutions in the healthcare space also gave Loopeli the confidence they needed to move forward. Among the tablets chosen by Loopeli were the Lenovo Tab M10 (Gen3), which was chosen for several factors, including:
Outcome
As part of our commitment to human-centered innovation, Lenovo is particularly proud to be delivering smarter technologies that improve health and wellness outcomes for seniors and people with disabilities. These technologies are now supporting Loopeli in allowing seniors to preserve and strengthen social ties, making them feel included in the family and bridging the gaps in distance and lifestyle. Besides the intuitiveness of the Loopeli software, the robustness and simplicity of Lenovo’s tablets have helped further eliminate the roadblocks for seniors to adopt this crucial technology. The tablets had an immediate, positive impact for both users and staff at the care homes. “The difference between seniors who only talk on a mobile phone compared with those who talk to Loopeli’s tablets is that those who use Loopeli feel togetherness and warmth when they can see their relatives,” said Mia Törnborg, Activity Coach at Ansvar
och Omsorg, Albrektsvägen.
And with the rollout of Lenovo’s device to the packaged solution, Loopeli could now scale the volume of their business from hundreds to thousands and reduce the administrative labor for clients who wanted to focus on the business of caregiving. And the future looks bright. Loopeli is now engaged in discussions to develop mobile device management (MDM) solutions tailored for each client’s device requirements. These solutions would, for instance, allow for the devices to be managed and updated remotely. It would also allow for remote tech support to troubleshoot any issues with the device or software. These new developments will translate into a more inclusive, positive future for seniors and people with disabilities. Lenovo is excited to play a role in Loopeli’s revolution in assisted-living care.
