Hospital Geel is the first Belgian hospital to test the Lifebloom One

Rehabilitation hospital Geel is the first Belgian hospital to test the disruptive therapy Lifebloom One. At the rehabilitation centre attached to AZ Geel, the company Lifebloom and LiCalab investigated the user-friendliness of the therapy Lifebloom One and in particular an innovative standing and walking aid as part of this therapy.

Patients with neurological conditions such as stroke, incomplete spinal cord injury or peripheral polyneuropathy often have difficulties getting up and walking. A significant number of patients cannot walk with a walker. One of the therapy Lifebloom One key feature is to enable patients to get up and walk safely without the help of a caregiver. This allows them to regain their independence in daily life.

Rehabilitants learned to use Lifebloom One’s mobility device over one to three coaching sessions. Lifebloom and LiCalab then collected feedback from both rehabilitants and caregivers. The caregivers' help and flexibility enabled Lifebloom and LiCalab to get the most out of the test week that provided very valuable insights. A total of 8 rehabilitants and 12 healthcare professionals participated in the study.

Patients found Lifebloom One’s walk assist device to be a reliable tool with well-integrated features. They found it easy to use, without unnecessary complexity. Lifebloom One was seen by professionals as a valuable, interesting, supportive and innovative tool. Patients who used Lifebloom One described feelings of freedom, amazement, confidence in their own abilities, pleasure, happiness, pride and safety.

"With Lifebloom One, I feel free"

They experienced an increase in their abilities and independence and were positive about the design and comfort when using the device.

"Lifebloom One enabled me to walk independently for the first time without a caregiver"

Care professionals noticed that rehabilitants were able to walk safely, independently and in a more qualitative manner with Lifebloom One compared to conventional equipment combined with the support of a therapist.

“Patients can exercise independently, they can operate the device themselves and it eliminates the fear of falling”
“With Lifebloom One the patient walks more naturally”
"Lifebloom One enables hands-off work"

As patients recover the ability to walk without supervision with Lifebloom One, therapists recognized its potential to reduce their own workload and to augment patients’ rehabilitation possibilities.

In short, Lifebloom One was positively received by both rehabilitants and caregivers. We would like to sincerely thank the care providers at the Geel rehabilitation centre for their fine and fruitful cooperation!

This research is part of the European Horizon project Vitalise. The Vitalise programme offers companies such as Lifebloom a unique opportunity to gain international access to services from living labs such as LiCalab.