Bena Care Expands Affordable Home Healthcare Access

2026-09-28T12:14:00+02:00

Bena Care has developed a network of healthcare professionals, including nurses, physiotherapists and caregivers, to make home-based nursing and rehabilitation services more accessible and affordable for people living with chronic illnesses. So far, the organization has supported more than 16,000 patients, bringing essential care directly into their homes.

For many families, receiving care at home can significantly reduce the financial burden of treatment, with some patients reporting potential savings of as much as 50% on healthcare expenses. Beyond the numbers are the personal experiences that demonstrate the impact of the service: a mother who no longer has to travel far to ensure her son receives dialysis, or a daughter who gains the knowledge and confidence to care for her mother after receiving training from Bena Care.

These individual experiences continue to motivate the organization, particularly when navigating the considerable challenges involved in building a sustainable healthcare social enterprise.

More than 16,000 patients have received care through Bena Care’s home-based healthcare services.

Support from Boehringer Ingelheim helps broaden access to care

By 2021, Bena Care had reached a challenging stage in its development. Operating a healthcare-focused social enterprise involves significant financial constraints, complex systemic barriers and an ongoing demand for services. For Bena Care, scaling its impact while maintaining affordability presented a particularly difficult challenge.

At this critical point, the organization received support through Boehringer Ingelheim’s Making More Health (MMH) entrepreneur support program. The partnership provided more than financial or practical assistance; it also offered recognition that Bena Care's approach had the potential to reach many more people.

With support from MMH, Bena Care was able to test and implement several initiatives that had been part of its long-term vision. One of these focused on training family members so they could take a more active role in providing supportive care to relatives with chronic conditions.

The organization also introduced free health-screening programs in communities experiencing high rates of diabetes and hypertension. By emphasizing early identification of these conditions, the initiatives aimed to help people seek appropriate care before health problems became more serious.

The programs produced results that went beyond the initial pilot phase. Their value became an integral part of Bena Care's broader mission, with the organization continuing to build on the approaches developed during its collaboration with Making More Health.

Sign Language Technology Makes Medical Information Accessible

2026-09-17T14:36:00+02:00

Medicine package inserts may appear easy to access. They are printed, organized into sections, and presented in written language. Yet for many deaf people, the information they contain can be difficult to understand, particularly when it involves unfamiliar medical terminology or complicated concepts.

A common misconception among hearing people is that deafness does not affect someone's ability to understand written information. Although many deaf people can read, literacy alone does not guarantee that complex medical language will be readily understood. Terms such as “dosage” and “contraindication,” for example, may be clearly printed but can still be challenging to interpret in a medical context.

Part of the challenge can be traced to differences in early language exposure. Hearing children are often exposed to between 1,000 and 2,000 words through listening before reaching the age of six. Deaf children may not receive the same level of incidental exposure to spoken language. This can make sophisticated written material, including healthcare information, more difficult to comprehend later on.

When patients cannot fully understand instructions or other important medical information, the issue extends beyond communication—it can affect equitable access to healthcare.

Using Technology to Make Medical Information Understandable

Technology can help address this gap by presenting information in a form that is more accessible, while complementing rather than replacing human communication.

Since 2021, Boehringer Ingelheim has offered a sign language avatar alongside package information for selected products. For its Animal Health brand FRONTPRO®, pet owners can visit a dedicated website where the avatar presents the medical information in sign language.

Rather than converting each written sentence directly into individual signs, the avatar communicates the intended meaning using the grammar, structure and natural rhythm of sign language. Facial expressions, gestures and other visual elements help convey nuances that a literal, word-for-word translation might miss. More complicated medical concepts are therefore interpreted within their broader context rather than simply recited.

The experience also combines sign language with additional visual information. While the avatar explains how the medicine works, a video in the background demonstrates application procedures and illustrates the product's mechanism of action. Combining these visual elements can reinforce key instructions, support appropriate use and help minimize the possibility of medication errors.

The objective is not to make medical information less detailed. Instead, it is to provide equivalent information through a communication format that is accurate, understandable and accessible to deaf users.

Daily CSR

Bena Care Expands Affordable Home Healthcare Access

Support from Boehringer Ingelheim helps broaden access to care

Sign Language Technology Makes Medical Information Accessible

Using Technology to Make Medical Information Understandable