Dutch company SARA is bringing innovation to elderly care with a smart care assistant that supports both caregivers and older adults. Tested in Belgian homecare through the ACE project, SARA provides personalised programmes—ranging from quizzes and games to movement exercises—that help maintain engagement, reduce stress, and improve overall quality of care.
Through cross-border collaboration with LiCaLab, the company is exploring how its proven solutions in Dutch nursing homes can be adapted to homecare settings, gaining insights into different healthcare systems and expanding its reach in Europe.
We spoke with Hans Verbist, Project Leader at SARA about the origins of the assistant, the challenges of implementing technology in foreign care systems, and how the ACE project is helping accelerate the adoption of innovative, personalised elderly care.
Can you introduce SARA and explain how your technology works?
HV: SARA is a smart care assistant designed to reduce stress in the care of older adults. It offers personalised programmes that can either stimulate or calm, depending on the needs of the individual. SARA is plug-and-play, making it incredibly easy to set up and tailor to the preferences of older adults. Activities include quizzes, games, and movement exercises.
SARA helps address some of the biggest challenges in elderly care: staff shortages, high workloads, and maintaining quality of care. Especially during busy periods, SARA provides support by offering older adults programmes that match their cognitive abilities, sensory needs, and personal interests.
Your solution is being tested by LiCaLab in Belgium. How did this collaboration come about?
HV: The collaboration came about through the ACE pilot coordinators. BOM and CIC introduced SARA as a company interested in testing its solution across borders. LiCaLab showed interest, and together we reached out to our network to set up the pilot. Thanks to this joint effort, the ACE pilot in Belgium was successfully launched.
What impact do you hope to achieve with your solution, and how is the ACE project supporting this ambition?
HV: SARA has been used for years in Dutch nursing homes, where it has proven to be a valuable support tool. Through the ACE project, we are now exploring its potential in Belgian homecare settings. This gives us the opportunity to investigate whether the positive experiences from nursing homes can also apply to care at home.
The ACE project supports this ambition by facilitating cross-border testing and helping us connect with care organisations that offer daycare and homecare for older adults.
What inspired you to develop SARA and develop a digital companion for older adults?
HV: The inspiration behind SARA was to support caregivers and reduce their workload, while also creating a more peaceful environment for older adults. Elderly care faces major challenges: staff shortages, high pressure, and the need to maintain high-quality care. SARA helps address these issues by stepping in during peak moments, offering personalised attention to clients through calming or stimulating activities.
Our goal has always been: more peace for clients, less pressure for caregivers.
What have been the biggest challenges in introducing your solution into a foreign healthcare system?
HV: On the technical side, we had to adjust some settings to ensure internet connectivity and availability of the app in the local app stores. Although we speak the same language, we have noticed some cultural differences in the types of programmes that older adults in Flanders prefer.
Another difference lies in the financing system. In the Netherlands, innovation in healthcare receives more structural financial support, which has helped care providers become familiar with using technology. In Belgium, this kind of innovation is still relatively new.
Even when your technology is solid, it still needs to be accepted. That is why the ACE pilots are so important. They create a safe space for people to try something new without long-term commitment. It is a low-risk way to explore the benefits of a solution, and once people experience the added value, they are often much more open to it.
Your product has already been successfully implemented in the Netherlands. What insights from those deployments have been most valuable for expanding to other countries?
HV: One of the key insights from our experience in the Netherlands is that implementation is always a matter of customisation. It also depends on how ready an organisation is to adopt innovation. We have learned that implementation works best when the demand comes directly from the care team involved in day-to-day practice.
By visiting departments and identifying where the need and intrinsic motivation are highest, we create the right conditions for adoption. While staff may sometimes be hesitant due to workload, fear of change, or a preference for familiar routines, an open mindset makes all the difference. Once teams experience the benefits of the solution firsthand, we often see a ripple effect: positive experiences spread across departments and lead to broader acceptance and adoption.
Would you recommend the ACE Community Platform and project to other companies or innovative care stakeholders?
HV: Yes, we would definitely recommend the ACE Community Platform and project to other companies and innovative care stakeholders. One of the most valuable aspects has been working with LiCaLab as a pilot coordinator—a neutral party who approaches the process without bias and provides clear, objective insights. This creates a safe space where people feel comfortable speaking openly.
The project has also increased our visibility in other European countries, which is a great added value. Through ACE, we have gained valuable insights into how healthcare systems operate in other countries and how best to approach cross-border collaboration. It has been a learning experience that has helped us grow both strategically and practically.