“Videobesuch”: video visiting made easy

“Videobesuch”: video visiting made easy

The "#WirVsVirus Solution Enabler" project “Videobesuch” is a video call- and scheduling software that allows intuitive video appointment booking in care facilities & nursing homes.

The coronavirus pandemic is still very prominent in our day to day lives, as it has brought along numerous consequences. Such as restrictions on contact and visits. Especially the residents of nursing homes or hospices and their families suffer from uncertainty as to whether and when they will see each other again.

Countering the loneliness

Videobesuch” (English name “Videas”) is a video call- and scheduling software that allows relatives to book appointments with residents living in care facilities & nursing homes, without putting additional strain on the responsible caregivers. Jaye Pharrell explains,

“with Videobesuch we want to make sure, that every resident of a care facility can be visited no matter what the outer circumstances are like. This way they’ll be able to keep up important relationships to their friends and family. We are sure, that Videobesuch will help residents to feel less lonely and secluded.”

(Photo: screenshot videobesuch.de)

Germany to Europe – Hackathon origins

The Cologne startup “Videobesuch” originated from the German “#WirVsVirus hackathon” which was initiated by a corporation of the German government and actors of civil society in March of 2020. After being elected one of the 20 hackathon winners, the project decided to continue their journey.

Within a few weeks after moving into the top 20, the video visiting software was already fully functional. Thereby “Videobesuch” could already count live video visits by Easter. The project then proceeded to expand its software internationally by entering the European Commissions “#EUvsVirus hackathon“.

#EUvsVIRUS pitch video

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The video visit software combines simplicity and sped-up scheduling of video calls. Therefore, provides nursing facilities with the opportunity to offer their patients video visits without having to invest much additional effort.

Intuitive and easy to use

When using the software, the facilities first enter dates and times, as well as the desired appointment length (for example 15 minutes). Then permanent links are sent to the relatives, who can then independently book the appointments.

Furthermore, all meetings are documented in a central calendar for the nursing staff. The facility can either set up a video visit room or carry the terminal device to bedridden patients. When the agreed time of the video visit arrives, the appointment automatically opens and again closes after the specified period of time as this German demo video illustrates.

Vodafone support

By providing the hardware necessary to utilize the “Videobesuch” software, Vodafone has helped to initiate their pilot project in nursing homes of the “Caritasverband Düsseldorf e.V.” in Düsseldorf, Germany. Thanks to this cooperation 20 families have been able to digitally visit each other during Easter this year.

The project is now part of the “#WirVsVirus Solution Enabler” programme, initiated by the social acceleration platform “Project Together“. With the Vodafone Institute as one of its funding partners, the programme aims to implement the most promising solutions and digital prototypes as quickly as possible.

About the “#WirVsVirus Solution Enabler” programme

The “#WirVsVirus Solution Enabler” is a six-months implementation programme for 130 selected innovative solutions developed for coronavirus-related challenges. The programme that is supported by the Vodafone Institute with startup funding, know-how and digital expertise, encourages projects from 12 action fields, such as health, everyday life and crisis management, to successfully implement their solutions on a broad scale. The Institute supports the project teams with individually tailored support by providing access to the Vodafone corporate network. Particularly the startup programme Vodafone UPLIFT with their PACESETTER offering supports the teams in the areas of IT infrastructure, public cloud, IoT solutions and individual consulting. The programme under the patronage of the Federal Chancellery has started working with the projects on April 8 of 2020. Find further information here.