Romanian health startups can revolutionise elderly care

Romania's health technology sector is growing steadily, with innovative solutions that could bring significant benefits to elderly care. Ion-Gheorghe Petrovai, co-founder of Fresh Blood, an organisation supporting medical innovation, identifies the challenges and opportunities within this emerging field.

Although Romanian patients and doctors are not yet particularly open to innovative technologies, local start-ups are not promising "miracle solutions" — instead, they are developing practical tools for managing health issues. This realistic approach is especially relevant for older adults, who require trust and familiarity when adopting new technologies.

Categories of technological solutions for seniors

Romanian healthtech start-ups fall into four main categories that can benefit older adults:

• Applications for managing health and wellbeing, including nutrition and mental health
• Solutions for patients with an established diagnosis and their carers
• Tools designed for doctors to improve the quality of medical care
• Technologies for medical institutions and organisations providing healthcare services

Notable solutions include Dot Lumen, which develops wearable devices for people with visual impairments, and telemedicine platforms such as Docbook and Medic Chat, which facilitate access to medical consultations for seniors with limited mobility.

Artificial intelligence technologies in geriatric medicine

Start-ups such as Rayscape and Synaptiq are developing AI solutions for medical imaging and cancer detection — technologies that are crucial for the early diagnosis of conditions in older patients. Medical Pilot offers systems for standardising clinical practice in hospitals, thereby improving the quality of care.

Other relevant solutions include WakeZ for sleep monitoring and Calmly, a platform connecting patients with psychologists — both important services for the mental health of seniors. Medradar helps users locate medicines and pharmacies, reducing the difficulties of accessing treatments.

The development of these technologies marks the beginning of a transformation in Romanian healthcare, with significant potential to improve the quality of life for older adults through accessible and efficient digital solutions.