Apple juice and app is going to strengthen the Danish elderly

With funding from Food & Bio Cluster Denmark project, INCluSilver, two companies can now put their idea into operation – a new innovative combination of training and protein-juice is going to strengthen the elderly at the Danish domiciliary care. 

The stronger the Danish elderly are, the greater the quality of life and independence they have in their own homes. This is the foundation of a new and innovative collaboration, where elderly people in municipal domiciliary care will be offered tailored strength training and protein juice to help the muscles grow.

Two companies are behind this new collaboration, ToftCare, who produces protein-enriched products, and DigiRehab, who has created a training app targeted elderly in the domiciliary care. The project has been granted 60,000 EUR in funding from the Food & Bio Cluster Denmark INCluSilver.

“We already have very good experience with physical training of the elderly through our digital solution. 6 out of 10 elderly become significantly stronger. We believe that we can raise this level even higher by focusing on protein intake in connection with the training, “says Niels Heuer, Director of DigiRehab.

The combination of training and protein intake is supported by two studies of older people’s physical training from Wageningen University in the Netherlands. The studies show that strength training in the long run is an effective way of improving the physical health of weak elderly people. However, it requires extra protein intake if the muscle mass is to be increased. This protein intake is ensured in the new collaboration of a protein enriched apple juice from Toft Care.

“The apple juice is made of Danish apples and is without additives and preservatives, so the product separates itself a lot from the products that is already on the market. It is a product that the elderly can relate to,” says CEO of Toft Care, Peter Toft.

The solution saves time and money

By offering the elderly a combination of training and protein-enriched juice, a major problem is addressed – that elderly typically lose muscle mass.

With this solution, muscle loss can be effectively hindered and save the municipalities a lot of resources. The training can be performed with DigiRehab’s digitally supported training programs in collaboration with the social and health care staff already in the home. The same staff have the opportunity to hand over the juice after training.

“Our overall solution is a very effective and time-saving way to help the elderly stay healthy for a long time. The Danish municipalities will save money and the solution will also facilitate the work of the busy social and health care staff, “says Peter Toft.

Over the next couple of months, a study in a number of municipal domiciliary care centers will investigate how the solution works in practice. On the basis of the study, Toft Care and DigiRehab will optimize their solution to fit the needs of the local authorities. The 60,000 EUR. funding from Food & Bio Cluster Denmark has been granted through the EU partner project INCluSilver, which aims to improve the health of the “silver generation”.