Photo: Eiko Lainjärv
On 22 October 2026, 19 teams presented their work at the Wellbeing Technologies Program demo day at the Estonian Academy of Arts.
It marked the completion of the first development phase for this cohort: months of work on understanding needs, developing service models and testing ideas with the people who might use them.
The 19 presentations at demo day covered home rehabilitation, medication management, remote care, communication, practical support and social connection. They showed different ways technology could help older people and adults with disabilities live more independently, while supporting the people who provide care.
Some are addressing closely related problems; others have experience, technology or service partnerships that could help a neighbouring team take its next step. This time, Thorgate was more directly involved in the program as well though the HELPA team.
Movement and rehabilitation at home
1. Elva Hospital: continuing physiotherapy beyond the clinic
The Elva Hospital team is developing home rehabilitation and physiotherapy for older patients. Personalised exercises and remote guidance aim to help people continue rehabilitation when travelling to appointments is difficult. The ambition is to build a service model that can extend beyond Elva and ultimately be adopted across Estonia.
Their presentation highlighted that the rehabilitation plan needs to remain usable after the person leaves the consulting room. The service must support both the patient doing the exercises and the professional following their progress. Collaboration with other providers could help test how the model works in different settings and support its wider adoption.
2. FitSphere: making regular movement easier to maintain
FitSphere is adapting digital activity support to help prevent declining mobility. The approach combines exercises at home, activity tracking and support from people around the participant.
One development described at demo day was a move towards browser-based access and a view for the person supporting physical activity. Municipalities and activity coordinators were highlighted as somebody who could help to test how the approach fits daily routines and reaches people with different levels of digital confidence.
3. Activate 65+: connecting a movement prescription with ongoing support
Activate 65+ links a doctor's referral with exercise support, coaching and digital tools. The aim is to help older adults maintain physical activity and functional independence.
The team described 2 service models and plans to investigate feasibility, impact and cost-effectiveness. An important question for the next stage is how this solution can grow from a referral to a sustained habit: who supports the participant, how progress is followed and how that work fits into existing services.
4. KoduTaastus / Lifeyear: cardiac rehabilitation at home
KoduTaastus is developing a home-based cardiac rehabilitation service model. It combines patient support with a shared clinical workflow so that rehabilitation can continue between appointments.
The presentation emphasised the need for clear responsibilities across the care team. Introducing remote rehabilitation also means deciding who reviews information and acts on it. The team described plans for clinical research and cost-effectiveness assessment, creating potential opportunities for healthcare providers and research partners.
5. Medicum Taastusravi: multidisciplinary rehabilitation at home
This project addresses continuity of rehabilitation for adults and older people with acute or chronic conditions. The service concept brings exercises and professional support into the home, covering needs that can include movement, speech, memory and breathing.
At demo day, the presentation described a wider rehabilitation pathway and an ambition to test it with a larger group. Its relevance extends beyond a video consultation: the service needs suitable exercises, understandable guidance and a reliable connection to specialists. Rehabilitation providers and accessible technology partners could contribute to that work.
6. Pedaalid / Vunkit: supporting movement without requiring a smartphone
Pedaalid combines a connected pedal exerciser with telephone-based reminders and encouragement through AI called “Pille”. It is intended to help older people develop a regular movement habit at home.
A distinctive feature is the choice of interface: participation does not depend on learning to use a smartphone app but rather they can just call “Pille” via phone. The next practical questions include how the equipment is introduced, how encouragement remains useful and how progress is assessed. With them, the home-care providers and movement specialists are the natural potential collaborators.
Chronic conditions, medication and earlier support
7. Haavaredel / Dermtest: a more connected wound-care pathway
Haavaredel focuses on preventing deterioration of chronic wounds through a better connected care pathway. The introduced approach helps home nurses, family medicine teams and wound-care specialists share information and coordinate when a patient needs further assessment or treatment.
The discussion raised a useful evaluation question: Should success be measured through a particular clinical outcome, or through the wider effect of the service? The project offers a clear collaboration opportunity around patient referral processes, shared information and meaningful outcome measures.
8. Hoole: medication support as a service
Hoole is developing a medication management solution for people receiving support at home. The service brings together assessment of medication use, prepared doses, reminders and remote oversight.
The presentation described a move towards considering several technology options to make the service more affordable. Pharmacy, home-care and municipal partners could help establish which combination of equipment and human support works for different users.
9. Home patient dashboard / Proud Engineers: a shared view of care at home
The home patient dashboard project aims to connect information used by patients, home nurses and family medicine teams. The demo presentation described a workflow used in care delivery, including support for documentation and further development.
The practical value would be to help the professionals see the relevant information and coordinate their work. To enable wider use, integration with existing systems, the amount of administrative work required and the input quality should be considered. Clinical service providers and integration partners could be the ones to contribute to those next steps.
10. KVERET: identifying cardiovascular risk earlier
KVERET, involving Tartu Applied Health Sciences University and Lifeyear, is developing a remote monitoring service model for earlier cardiovascular risk assessment. It connects prevention in primary care with follow-up between visits.
The presentation described plans for clinical research and a service that could eventually fit a sustainable funding model. The next stage needs to examine both clinical usefulness and the work generated for professionals. Primary care teams, researchers and service funders have complementary roles in answering those questions.
11. Viljandi Hospital: a voicebot connected to human follow-up
Viljandi Hospital’s project explores how a voicebot can support health management after a patient returns home. The proposed pathway connects information from calls with a health manager and, when needed, social support.
The service also illustrates why automated contact needs a clearly organised human response as the potential action items still need someone to help to follow up on those..
Remote care and earlier intervention at home
12. Rehasoft / AURAGUARD: connecting home monitoring with care delivery
This project combines information from home sensors with the organisation of care services. Its aim is to help municipalities and providers notice changes earlier and use that information in practical support.
The presentation took a whole-service view of remote care. A signal becomes useful when someone understands it, knows what to do and can respond. Potential partners include municipalities, home-care providers and technology teams working on integration and manageable alert workflows.
13. Saue Sotsiaalkeskus: technology within a municipal home-care model
Saue’s project looks at how welfare technology can support independent living through a coordinated home-care service. The presentation included a shared workspace and a portal for relatives, with the aim of reducing repeated data entry and helping support reach people sooner.
The project focuses on how municipalities organise home care: helping staff coordinate support, keeping relatives informed and making sure changes noticed at home lead to timely assistance. Working with other municipalities could help test how the model fits different local services.
14. Lever Design: bringing staff, client and sensor information together
Lever Design’s project brings together tools for managing care staff, older clients and sensors within a supporting service model. The presentation connected Guardian, SilverWise and training with the practical organisation of home care.
The emphasis was on making information useful for the management in daily work. The next stage needs to examine how the combined approach affects care delivery and workload. Providers and municipalities could help assess the service under different operating conditions.
15. NordJob / Eldiora: remote monitoring with a response service
NordJob is developing a home-support service model based on remote monitoring, including work with municipalities in Lääne-Viru County. The approach combines devices with the response and follow-up needed when a concern is identified.
Local service providers and municipalities could help develop a dependable model for that work.
Communication, inclusion and practical support
16. HELPA: making everyday support easier to request
HELPA is developing practical support for people with psychosocial disabilities who are mostly self-sufficient but sometimes need a bit of assistance. The prototype focuses on a specific everyday situation: asking a preferred support worker to accompany someone with their daily activities, with a clear and consent-based route to a replacement when needed.
The team described learning from users and support workers and repeatedly improving the prototype. Keeping the person in control, making the request understandable and showing who will help are central design choices. Further work includes service testing and further developing the business model for support workers.
17. HELLI AAC: communication support that follows the person
HELLI AAC supports people who cannot consistently rely on speech to express their needs and choices. The project explores continuity of communication support across hospital, rehabilitation and home settings, using personalisation and Estonian-language tools.
Healthcare, rehabilitation and home-care teams could work together on training and continuity.
18. ELDER / Brand Manual: supporting companionship and reducing coordination work
ELDER focuses on preventing loneliness by helping to connect the elderly with volunteer companions. The platform is intended to support the people organising those relationships as well as the participants.
The idea is that this software solution would help to sustain and organise such human to human relationships Volunteer networks, municipalities and community organisations could contribute to testing how the service supports participation and reduces avoidable administration.
19. Onkoloogika: information, community and support during cancer
Onkoloogika brings together community, relevant information and access to support for people affected by cancer. The presentation highlighted development informed by lived experience and the role of connections beyond the screen.
Its scope includes helping people find support that fits their situation, with community activity also taking place in person. Patient organisations, care providers and service partners could contribute to clearer routes between information, peer support and professional help.
What the presentations and discussions brought into focus
Several topics recurred across the day.
- A signal needs a response. Remote monitoring, medication reminders and automated calls all raise questions about who follows up, how quickly and through which service.
- Access depends on everyday usability. Some people can use an app independently, others need a familiar telephone call, personalised communication tools or the support from another person.
- Impact needs deliberate evaluation. Demonstrating a prototype, observing a successful use and proving a lasting outcome are different steps. Several teams discussed future research or cost-effectiveness assessment. Sharing evaluation methods could help teams learn faster while keeping claims proportionate to the evidence.
- Sustainable services need an operating model. Affordability, staff time, funding and the cost of responding to alerts all affect whether a service can continue.
What comes next?
Phase 2 of the first cohort is starting. The focus now moves to testing solutions in practice, evaluating their impact and, where the results support it, bringing them into everyday use.
The Phase 2 assessment framework puts particular emphasis on a well-founded service model, a credible evaluation plan, realistic costs and the partners’ ability to deliver and sustain the service. For the teams, this means agreeing who does what, how progress will be measured and what needs to be in place for the service to continue beyond the pilot.
The technology-readiness guidance also highlights that the technology’s core functions need to have already been demonstrated in a relevant environment.
A new Phase 1 round for another cohort is being considered for early 2027. The timing is still to be confirmed. Organisations interested in participating can use this time to identify a relevant problem, find complementary partners and follow the organisers’ announcements.
Official programme information:
https://www.tehnopol.ee/projekt/heaolutehnoloogiate-programm/
Keep building the connections
We hope the relationships formed during the programme continue within and between teams, regardless of who moves into the next phase. There is room to share user research methods, accessibility experience, evaluation approaches and integration work. Teams can also help one another understand how municipalities and care providers organise services in practice.
The invitation extends beyond Estonia. Organisations working on similar challenges elsewhere may bring relevant experience in home care, rehabilitation, communication support or community services. Collaboration could take the form of localising an existing solution, developing complementary technology, designing a joint pilot or comparing implementation experience.
Thank you to the Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia for initiating the Wellbeing Technologies Program, and to Tehnopol, Civitta and the Estonian Academy of Arts for delivering it. Thank you also to the teams, mentors, service providers and people who contributed their lived experience.
If you’re working on a wellbeing technology solution or see an opportunity to collaborate with one of these teams, I’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with me at karl@thorgate.eu to explore your idea, discuss a potential partnership or connect with the people involved.
