Your companion for everyday life

Emanuel and Fernando share their experience with the myCompanion app

The recent pandemic has increased the use of technological solutions in our lives, especially in populations at risk.

In September 2019 Fresenius Medical Care launched myCompanion, an app to allow our haemodialysis patients to take a more active role in their treatment. This app is currently available in 22 countries with a total of more than 6,500 active users, both patients and caregivers. We are looking forward to welcoming more active users to the app and plan to launch the app in further countries in the future.

Our patients Emanuel and Fernando from Portugal were one of the first users of myCompanion, both giving the app top marks as the “best ally in recent times”.

Emanuel, from NephroCare Machico, shares his experience with myCompanion to nurse Marta

"My partner says that she has learned more in the application than in many cookbooks." Emanuel

Emanuel, 75 years old, one of the first users of myCompanion in Portugal. He talks with our app specialist about how this app has improved his daily life. Mr. Emanuel is now 75 years old. He was born on Madeira Island and considers himself a person full of energy and hope.

He was 72 when he was diagnosed with Chronic Kidney Failure and since then he was sure that he would spend many hours under our care. Starting the treatments was not easy, and dealing with a new routine was challenging.
But, over time, the clinic gradually became his “second home”. The myCompanion application was launched at NephroCare Machico in February and Mr. Emanuel was one of the first users to show an interest in it, since he had always been
interested in new technologies.

The application was introduced by Nurse Marta Menezes and today its daily use has become vital. From curiosity to enthusiasm, he has always acknowledged it and, in fact, considers using the application “a privilege”.

From 0 to 10, how do you rate the applicationin general?
A 10, without any doubt.

Is the use of the application relevant in your daily life?
Relevant is not enough. It has become my best ally in recent times. I use it over and over again and I am very grateful to those who actually made all this possible.

Can you easily interpret all the information available?
Yes, everything is remarkably simple and easy to understand.

How many times a week do you use it?
At least 3 times a week, as a rule, I always access the day after treatment.

Do you find it important to enter the code whenever you log in?
Yes, of course. We must protect our data.

What part of the application do you use the most?
The data from the previous treatment. The next day, I am always curious to make a small evaluation of the treatment, always
relating it to the previous ones.

Have you tried making any of the recipes available in the topic “discover recipes”?
Yes, many. My partner even says at home that she has learned more in the application than in many cookbooks. It is particularly
important and valuable to have all the nutritional components, so, depending on the amount of phosphorus or potassium that a certain recipe has, I can make a more suitable choice for me.

Have you researched or were you curious to know more about your medication, also available under the topic for this purpose?
Yes, I looked at the medication that is administered here and the one I take at home. It helps a lot. The other day I went to the cardiologist and I did not even need to bring my medication. I turned on the application, showed it and it was super funny and fancy.

Do you feel more informed about your disease and its treatment by using the application?
Obviously. We know a lot about our health condition from the time we start the treatments until today. However, with the help of
the application I feel that I am safer and understand much more about what can be done. I learned to interpret data and to evaluate it better and better. I also find it impressive that the homepage changes and offers different information. It’s always nice to read. And then? Then, unintentionally, I learned something else.

Are the lab graphs easy to interpret?
Yes. It’s easy to have a very quick and simplified view of our health condition. Even today, the doctor asked me about the phosphorus value since the beginning of the year and I instinctively went to show him the graph right away.

In your opinion, do you think there should be more data? If so, which ones?
Yes, the laboratory data should give a brief explanation of all the parameters analysed, for example, I see the value of albumin and I do not really know what it means.

If you needed to introduce the app to a new user, would you recommend it?
Of course! I would even help you install it if necessary.

“Everything is remarkably simple and easy to understand”

Emanuel

Fernando, from NephroCare Braga, shares his experience with myCompanion to nurse Jorge

"It looks good, even on the mobile phone." Fernando

How do you see the usability of this application?
The application allows us to have hands-on and accurate date of our treatments. We can now have the information without having to ask doctors or nurses.

What is your opinion about the application’s layout and ease of use?
It looks good, even on the mobile phone. With more frequent usage, it also becomes easier to obtain the information that it contains.

How often do you use the application?
Several times a month.

What content do you usually access?
I always look at the lab tests values at the beginning of the month and I like to control the weight and blood pressure during treatments. From time to time, I also look for tips and useful information about the disease and treatment.

Join the digital journey – with myCompanion

myCompanion, which you can download via Google PlayStore or Apple AppStore, is free to use.

To make the process easier, the app also allows you to log in using facial and fingerprint recognition. Moreover, it is possible to share your app access with caregivers and loved ones. After your permission, your treatment data can be seen by others. Ask your nurse for further information. For the first time, you can view your personal therapy data directly from your clinic’s reliable EuCliD database. It shows your treatment data as well as medication and monthly lab results so that you can keep track and take a more active role in your treatment. You have it on your phone, so you can easily share it with your family and friends too. To provide a high a level of security and confidentiality of your personal treatment data originated from EuCliD, the data is transferred in an encrypted file. You can easily access all the information in the application whenever you want. All you need is a good internet connection.

How technology can enrich the lives of seniors

It is often assumed that technology is something for young people, but there are many simple ways to bring new forms of entertainment and pleasure to seniors in their homes. Even if they do not own a smartphone, tablet, or computer, these devices can be shared by caregivers and loved ones.
Despite the many difficulties older people experience when they use new technologies, they recognise the benefits of these applications and strive to keep up with friends and family, especially today.

Due to the novel Coronavirus pandemic, life happens online, and the older generation must now face and struggle to adapt to this “new” digital age. As we age and our hearing deteriorates, talking on the phone can often be frustrating and limiting. FaceTime and Skype can be a fun way to connect. A face-to-face phone call on a smartphone or tablet, especially when talking to young family members, can be such a happy experience. Seeing each other’s faces as we speak can help fill in some of the gaps our ears may have missed.

Also, the major concern in taking care of our aging loved ones is tracking their health condition, treatments, medications and nutrition. Changing the health condition, treatments and medicines often confuses caregivers and family members.

Digital can make things less complicated with smartphone medical apps for seniors

On social media platforms, users post personal photos, videos and write messages to share with others in their social network, that is, the people they are connected to online. If your friends and family use social media to share information about their everyday life, consider setting up a free profile and joining in on the fun.
So, don’t forget to ask at your clinic about our app – myCompanion.

Dialysis at Nephrocare