Kapsch BusinessCom is implementing a comprehensive solution for the Geriatric Health Centres for the City of Graz.
The Geriatric Health Centres (GGZ) in Graz are well-known for their up-to-date, quality patient care. The use of modern technology is also indispensable for this very important task. For this reason, the GGZ rely on the IT solutions and services from Kapsch BusinessCom AG. Recently, a state-of-the-art solution from Kapsch BusinessCom has been implemented in Graz Geriatric Health Centres to help locate disoriented patients. It is based on a comprehensive WLAN network that is also being used for IT and telephony applications.
Dementia is an illness that typically affects people of advanced age. Currently, more than 100,000 people suffer from dementia in Austria. Geriatric institutions like the Geriatric Health Centres in the City of Graz are a main source of health care for people with dementia. They have been offering patients modern, quality health care as well as other social services for many years now. They uphold strict ethical principles and provide the latest know-how in patient care, medicine as well as administrative services. That is why modern technology is an integral part of all this. For this reason, the GGZ are relying on the technical solutions from Kapsch BusinessCom – specifically a new WLAN network that can also be used for telephony applications.
“The Kapsch solution enables us to operate all applications such as IT applications, IT telephony and the new system for disoriented patients uniformly via the new WLAN infrastructure,” says Stefan Windisch, Head of IT Management at GGZ. The wireless infrastructure from Kapsch in the Graz Geriatric Health Centres enables the utilisation of new applications. The cornerstone of the solution is focused around 151 Cisco WLAN access points at four controllers that provide the entire area with WLAN access. The clinic is also using a self-healing network: access points recognise failures and then step in to take over. Kapsch implemented the central telephony solution using a Cisco Unified Communications Manager which integrates approx. 130 IP phones via the WLAN infrastructure. The Cisco Unified Communications Manager is a part of a three server cluster for the city of Graz. This ensures the greatest system stability.
The network is not just used as a basis for the telephony solution; it is also used as the infrastructure for a comprehensive localisation solution. The system contains all building plans and patients are equipped with individual RFID tags (sender/receiver for radio frequency identification). The tags are assigned zones in which the respective patient can move about freely. If the patient leaves this zone, this triggers an alarm at the redundant alarm server in real time alerting the nursing staff who can then accompany the patient back to safety. Kapsch is using a special WLAN transmitter for this solution that can connect directly to the patient tags. One of the most important reasons that GGZ choose Kapsch for this solution was that they could provide a guaranteed and reliable localization system for disoriented patients as well as a uniform infrastructure. This enables the GGZ to provide the best possible care for their patients without having to limit their freedom of movement.
This excellent infrastructure will also be the basis for all additional future applications. Other applications are already being considered: medical services and care documentation software that will also be operated via the WLAN infrastructure is currently being evaluated.
Kapsch BusinessCom is one of the largest Cisco providers in Austria. Because of its leading position as a Cisco Gold Partner, Kapsch has advanced technology specialisation in security, unified communications, wireless LAN, as well as routing and switching. Kapsch also has highly qualified and certified employees (11 CCIE certified, among others). In addition, Kapsch’s extensive know-how has also received the highest scores in a Cisco customer satisfaction survey.
Kapsch BusinessCom AG - a Kapsch Group company - has more than 800 employees, a turnover of more than EUR 160 million and is Austria's leading provider of state-of-the-art communications, network and IT solutions. As a customer-oriented company, Kapsch BusinessCom is divided into four strategic business areas: Real Time Communication Solutions, Marketing Process Solutions, Outtasking Solutions and Business Protection Solutions. With a local presence and around 340 employees in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Ukraine and Poland, Kapsch BusinessCom is also a leading provider and reliable partner for its customers in their expansion activities in Central and Eastern Europe.
