care & love
The morning shift at Greenfield Rehabilitation Center starts at 6 AM, but for Nurse Maria, the day often begins earlier. By 5:30, she's already pushing a cart down the corridor, stopping at Room 203 to assist Mr. Henderson, an 82-year-old stroke survivor with limited mobility. Today, like most days, she finds his sheets damp—a common issue in long-term care, but one that never gets easier. "It's not just about changing linens," she says, pausing to adjust his pillow. "It's about preserving his dignity. But with 12 patients on my roster, some days I feel like I'm rushing through the most important part of the job."
Greenfield, a 60-bed facility in suburban Connecticut, specializes in post-surgery recovery and elderly long-term care. For years, its biggest challenge wasn't medical procedures or therapy protocols—it was incontinence care. "Nearly 70% of our patients struggle with urinary or fecal incontinence," explains Director of Nursing, Elena Rodriguez. "Before 2023, our staff spent an average of 2.5 hours per shift on linen changes, perineal care, and bed baths related to incontinence. That's time taken away from wound checks, medication reminders, and simply sitting with patients to listen."
Incontinence is a silent crisis in elder care. For patients like Mr. Henderson, frequent accidents can lead to embarrassment, social withdrawal, and even skin breakdown from prolonged moisture. For staff, the physical and emotional toll is heavy. "You're bending, lifting, cleaning—all while trying to keep the patient calm," says Nurse James, who has worked at Greenfield for eight years. "I've seen colleagues leave because they couldn't handle the burnout. And when we're short-staffed, corners get cut. A patient might wait 45 minutes for a change, and that's not acceptable."
The numbers backed up the anecdotes. In early 2023, Greenfield's staff surveys showed a 62% burnout rate, and patient satisfaction scores for "feeling respected during care" hovered around 58/100. "We needed a solution that could ease the burden on our team while putting patients' dignity first," Rodriguez recalls. "That's when we started researching incontinence care robots."
After months of research—attending medical tech expos, consulting with other facilities, and testing demos—Greenfield settled on a bedridden elderly care robot called the CleanCare Pro. Designed specifically for long-term care settings, the robot combines gentle water-based cleaning with warm air drying, all while the patient remains in bed. "The key was finding something that didn't feel clinical or cold," Rodriguez says. "We wanted a tool that worked with our staff, not against them."
The CleanCare Pro operates via a touchscreen tablet. A staff member positions the robot's flexible arm under the patient's bed, selects the cleaning mode (gentle, standard, or deep), and initiates the process. Sensors ensure the arm stays at a safe distance from the patient's skin, and the water temperature is regulated to prevent discomfort. "It's surprisingly intuitive," says Nurse Maria, who was part of the initial training group. "Within a week, most of us could operate it with our eyes closed."
Introducing robots to a team of seasoned caregivers wasn't without hurdles. "At first, I thought, 'Great, they're replacing us with machines,'" admits Nurse James. "But the training changed my mind. The robot isn't there to take over—it's there to handle the repetitive, physically draining parts of the job, so we can focus on the human stuff."
Greenfield rolled out the robots in phases, starting with the dementia and post-stroke units (where incontinence rates were highest) in March 2023. Each unit received two robots, and staff underwent 20 hours of training—covering everything from basic operation to troubleshooting. "We held weekly check-ins to address concerns," Rodriguez says. "One nurse worried the robot would scare patients with dementia, so we let her test it on a mannequin first. Another asked if it could handle patients with limited mobility, so we adjusted the arm's range. By the end of the first month, resistance had turned into curiosity."
| Metric | Pre-Implementation (Jan 2023) | Post-Implementation (June 2023) | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average time per incontinence episode (minutes) | 22 | 8 | -64% |
| Weekly staff hours spent on incontinence care | 312 | 118 | -62% |
| Patient dignity complaints (monthly) | 18 | 3 | -83% |
| Staff burnout survey score (1-10, 10=highest burnout) | 7.8 | 4.2 | -46% |
| Patient satisfaction (respect during care, 100-point scale) | 58 | 89 | +53% |
By June 2023, six months after implementation, the results were undeniable. The table above shows a 64% reduction in time spent per incontinence episode, freeing up over 190 weekly hours for staff to focus on other tasks—like therapy sessions, medication education, and simply chatting with patients. "I now have time to sit with Mrs. Gonzalez and listen to her talk about her grandchildren," Nurse James says. "That's the part of the job I love, and I was losing it before."
"I used to dread getting changed. It felt like everyone was staring, even if they weren't. Now, the robot is quiet, quick, and no one has to lift me. I feel… normal again." — Mr. Henderson, Greenfield patient since 2022
While the transition was largely smooth, Greenfield faced a few bumps. Early on, the robots occasionally struggled with patients who had thick mattresses, requiring staff to adjust the arm's angle manually. "We worked with the manufacturer to ｕｐｄａｔｅ the sensor software, and that fixed it," Rodriguez says. There was also initial pushback from some family members. "A daughter of one patient asked, 'Why isn't a human doing this?'" she recalls. "We invited her to watch a cleaning session, and she left saying, 'That's more gentle than I would have been.'"
Maintenance has also been a consideration. Each robot requires weekly cleaning of the water tank and filter, and the manufacturer sends a technician for quarterly check-ups. "The cost is offset by the savings in linen and staff time," Rodriguez notes. "We used to go through 500+ bed linens a week; now it's closer to 200. That's a huge budget win."
Today, Greenfield has expanded its robot fleet to five units, covering all patient floors. Staff burnout is down to 38%, and patient satisfaction scores consistently top 90/100. "The robots didn't ｒｅｐｌａｃｅ our caregivers—they elevated them," Rodriguez says. "Our team now has the time and energy to provide the kind of care we always wanted to give."
For other facilities considering similar technology, Rodriguez offers this advice: "Involve your staff from day one. Let them test the robots, voice their concerns, and help shape the implementation plan. Tech is only as good as the people using it."
As for Nurse Maria, she still starts her shift at 5:30 AM, but now, her cart is lighter. "I spend less time changing sheets and more time connecting with patients," she says, smiling. "And that? That's the reason I became a nurse."