German
MDR reports on healthcare apartments in the Smart Quarter Jena-Lobeda
At the beginning of September, a television crew from Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) visited Jena to report on a pioneering model project in the field of healthcare: the healthcare apartments in the Smart Quarter Jena-Lobeda.
The TV report focused on the question:
How can modern urban development help to relieve the burden on hospitals and offer patients a better quality of life?
The answer was provided by the innovative joint project of the Smart City Project Jena, Stadtwerke Jena and Jena University Hospital (UKJ) - and was impressively illustrated in the MDR report.
Filming location: smart apartments instead of hospital corridors
For the report, MDR accompanied Grit Ziege, who had traveled from Schleswig-Holstein as a potential organ donor for a friend. Her preliminary examinations take place at the university hospital - she is allowed to live in one of the two health apartments in the Smart Quarter.
Instead of spending the night in hospital, she enjoys maximum privacy, comfort and flexibility in the smartly equipped apartment - just a few minutes' walk from the hospital.
"I'm actually healthy - so it's nice to have a place to retreat to instead of being in hospital," she says in the MDR interview.
The article shows how digital technologies and well-designed living together open up new ways of providing patient care.
Relief for hospitals and nursing staff
The MDR report also sheds light on the medical and organizational background to the pilot project. Since the start of the project, over 200 patients have been accommodated in the health apartments instead of in hospital beds - a noticeable relief for the UKJ.
"The health apartments are an effective contribution to relieving the burden on our hospital teams - especially in light of the nursing shortage," explains Prof. Dr. Utz Settmacher, surgeon at the UKJ and Chairman of the German Transplantation Society.
Voices from the project - what else MDR is showing
In addition to the patient's experiences, representatives of the project partners also have their say in the MDR report. They explain how the apartments work, the technology used and the prospects for the project.
Mandy Steinbrück, Project Manager of the Smart Neighborhood at Stadtwerke Jena:
"The apartments are state-of-the-art - from tablet control for lighting and heating to smart assistance systems."
Dorothea Prell, overall project manager of Smart City Jena:
"The MDR report shows how innovative urban development can make a concrete contribution to improving healthcare."
Looking to the future: what happens after 2027?
MDR also addresses the central question of further development: How can the successful model be continued after the funding phase ends in 2027? Currently, the use of the apartments is made possible entirely through funding - discussions with health insurance companies about future financing models are already underway.
Ideas are also being developed as to how the concept can be transferred to rural areas - for example through additional digital assistance systems and AI-supported care.
MDR reports to watch
The complete report can be viewed in the MDR media library. Here you can get a direct insight into the healthcare apartments, the motivations of those involved and the vision behind the project:
Click here to watch the report:
