Pal featured in ICT&Health

The launch of Pal in the Netherlands was covered by the leading healthcare technology media ICT&Health. An English translation of this article is provided below.

Digital platform supports families in need of palliative care

Each year, over 100,000 Dutch citizens rely on palliative care to make their final moments on Earth as comfortable as possible. PAL is now introducing a new digital solution to support caregivers in providing palliative care to their loved ones. Through this solution, the startup aims to offer better support and assistance to the more than 100,000 families with a family member suffering from a life-limiting illness.

In the coming years, the demand for palliative care is expected to increase. This is partly due to the aging population and the fact that more people are experiencing long-term illnesses before they die. Therefore, palliative care is becoming increasingly important. The mobile app developed by Pal is specifically designed for caregivers of people with life-limiting illnesses. Through the app, they receive the support and tools they urgently need in this phase.

Family and friends who care for their loved ones play a crucial role in palliative care. They support their loved ones in daily activities, provide emotional support, and handle practical matters. However, these caregivers often feel uncertain in their role and have many questions. There is little support available for them. Pal is now changing that.

Addressing Major Challenges
Pal, the digital platform for palliative care at home, helps patients, their families, and medical caregivers tackle the major challenges of daily palliative care. This includes daily care, symptom management, and coordination among caregivers. By supplementing existing palliative care, Pal improves the quality of care, the patient’s quality of life, and the efficiency of care delivery.

“From personal experience, I know there is far too little support for people who care for a loved one. We cannot expect caregivers to take on so much responsibility without giving them the tools and guidelines they need to effectively fulfill this new and complex role,” says Nara Moripen, co-founder and CEO of Pal. “We are very pleased to finally introduce the platform in the Netherlands and provide caregivers with the support they need.”

Successful English App
In September last year, Pal was able to accelerate the launch of its digital palliative care solution thanks to an initial funding round from Plug and Play, Antler, and several business angels. The team has since launched the app in English, and it has helped hundreds of families better cope with a life-limiting illness.

Azi Doost, co-founder of Pal, says: “The feedback from users of our solution and their medical caregivers has been very positive. In collaboration with partners, we are expanding our offerings to make life a bit easier for those caring for someone with a life-limiting illness.”

Pal was founded in early 2022 by Azi Doost (COO) and Nara Moripen (CEO), a digital care strategist and former caregiver. Their mission was to redefine palliative care and ensure that everyone dealing with a life-limiting illness has access to good support at home. Thanks to Pal, patients and their families gain access to palliative care earlier in the illness process. Through the timely interventions made possible by Pal, complications and hospitalizations are prevented, resulting in significant healthcare cost savings.

Digitization in Palliative Care
Technology can greatly enhance the quality and appropriateness of palliative care. In the Netherlands, little is known about this yet. However, an inventory of what is possible and desirable in terms of digitization is currently being conducted, says Iris van Bennekom, an executive at Agora. Agora is a knowledge and development organization in the field of palliative care, collaborating with students from the Open University for this inventory.

What Van Bennekom finds most troubling is that there is generally little knowledge in the Netherlands about the options available for patients who are no longer treatable. And that’s unfortunate because there are already quite a few possibilities to support people in a palliative phase of life, especially in the social domain. Van Bennekom is convinced that technology can provide good assistance. “Telemonitoring and consultation, for example, can ensure that people can stay safely and comfortably at home. They can also benefit greatly from digital communication, education, and e-health: for better referrals, for instance, or relevant informational videos. Additionally, digital platforms where patients can connect and support each other are also valuable.”

You can read the full article in Dutch here.