Digital Health Hero: Alumni Ichó develops accessible therapy solution for dementia
According to the latest study by the German Alzheimer Association (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Alzheimer) 1,8 Mio people lived with dementia in 2021 – and every year around 440.000 new cases are diagnosed. With these numbers, the association estimates up to 2.8 Mio cases in the year 2050 – only talking about newly diagnosed patients above the age of 65, whereas diagnoses under 65 in younger people are also increasing.
TIME TO ACT
That’s at least what the founder team of Ichó Systems felt and has been putting into practice since they had founded their startup in the year 2018. As their grandparents were suffering from dementia, they had experienced firsthand, what it meant to take care of a dear family member, who suffers from the disease.
“Our grandparents suffered from dementia. We personally experienced how challenging care is from the perspective of relatives. From this painful experience, we started to develop ichó with our grandparents to improve communication and participation.”
The Challenge of Treating Dementia
With Ichó Systems, the founding team of Stefan Preuss, Alkje Stuhlmann and Mario Kascholke committed themselves to developing a solution, that affects 55,2 million people around the globe (WHO, 2021). Patients with neurological diseases such as dementia or strokes are confronted with a lack of therapy services – causing consequences:
- decrease of patients' independence
- higher need for care
- high level of suffering
- heavy burden on our healthcare system.
As of today, patient groups have not yet been able to benefit from any digital therapy services, as smartphones or tablets are too difficult to handle. A neglect that our healthcare system cannot afford, if we consider the increasing lack of skilled workers in this branch.
The Ichó Solution
With their Ichó Therapy Ball, the team has developed a solution, that is key to digital therapy options tailored for patients with neurological diseases. The interactive therapy ball trains cognitive and motoric skills of the patients in a playful manner, while also recording important data from the use, which helps doctors and therapists to evaluate the patients' progress. With their science-based solution, Ichó does not only enhance therapy options for neurological patients, but also creates new ways of accessibility to therapy options.
Key Facts about Ichó Systems:
Their solution:
▪️ Ichó is a smart therapy ball that interactively promotes cognition and motor skills in patients with neurological diseases such as dementia, Parkinson's and stroke.
▪️ The ball can tell stories and set puzzles, it plays music and encourages singing, vibrates and lights up in different colors.
▪️ The smart ball records patient data, providing doctors and therapists with a transparent therapy progression.
Their path to success:
▪️ Founded in 2018, the team consists of 13 employees.
▪️ Ichó has succeeded in raising around EUR 2 million in growth capital from NRW-Bank, Capacura, Meerkat and several business angels.
▪️ Today, ichó balls are already in use in 850 clinics and inpatient care facilities throughout Germany.
▪️ 80% of all people in need of care are cared for at home. Icho's goal is to make the therapy ball reimbursable for people who are cared for at home.
With taking part in our 8-week booster program, Ichò got closer to their goal, while working on their challenge together with an expert duo consisting of Erstin Üstün as their BRYCK business mentor and Ulrich Zerhusen as their industry expert.
Tailor-Made Support for your
Digital Health Startup
Your startup builds bridges in the context of upcoming gaps in healthcare provision or deals with the shortage of skilled workers? Then our program is for you! Apply now for our digital health booster, starting in October 2024!
