Almost a third of the elderly feel lonely (CBS, 2012). One of the causes of this is the changes in care. Efficiency measures and substitution of care, for example, mean that there are fewer and shorter contact moments between care providers and the elderly. For social contact, elderly people are therefore increasingly dependent on family and their immediate surroundings. A circle that is often shrinking as people get older. Good communication tools and better contact between generations can help prevent loneliness. De Compaan is a communication aid that is tailored to the needs and possibilities of the elderly. The idea for De Compaan came about when I bought a tablet for my great-aunt so that I could communicate with her digitally. Despite extensive instruction, I was unable to reach her through the tablet. The cause of this became clear when I visited her later in life and saw the tablet lying between a big pile of newspapers. This prompted me to start looking for another way, an aid that would work. I started talking to elderly people, their families, caregivers and companies that were working on similar innovations. The result was De Compaan. Via De Compaan, elderly people can share photos, send messages and make video calls with family and friends, among other things.

In order to sell De Compaan, we initially focused on the end-user. We went to visit the elderly with an explanation of its use. Because they saw with their own eyes how simple and user-friendly De Compaan was, we also managed to enthuse people who were initially reluctant and afraid of technology. We also focused on healthcare providers. We saw them as suitable partners for the implementation of De Compaan in healthcare, because they know better than anyone what is going on and have direct contact with potential users.

Partly because of all the positive and enthusiastic reactions, I felt I had a golden trump card up my sleeve. Yet, initially, sales were slow to take off. I discovered that the children play an important role in the purchase of De Compaan. When I spoke to an older person alone, it was less likely to result in a purchase than when a son or daughter was present. I also found out that homecare workers were not always the ideal partners. The average home care worker is older and has more difficulty with technology than a younger colleague. They themselves provide 'warm' care and 'cold' technology is diametrically opposed in their eyes. We also detected fear among home care workers, the fear that technology will take over their work. When you confront people with this, you notice that they don't always recognise it themselves.