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Assistive Devices for Rehabilitation and Care: a Promising Market +++ REHACARE INTERNATIONAL 2008 Surpasses all Expectations
23/10/2008
© Messe Düsseldorf
German rehabilitation industry caught between the opposing poles of growing demand and cost pressure
Interest in high-quality assistive devices for rehabilitation and care purposes is increasing. REHACARE 2008, the 19th staging of the International Trade Fair and Congress held from 15 to 18 October in Düsseldorf, attracted 52,000 visitors. Compared to the previous year, the figure represents an increase of over 10 percent in visitors to the fair, at which 758 exhibitors from 29 countries presented their latest products and services.
"REHACARE 2008 thus surpassed all expectations," says Wilhelm Niedergöker, Managing Director of Messe Düsseldorf, in summary. "The concept of REHACARE as a marketplace both for people requiring care and those specialising in its delivery, as well as the idea of making the fair attractive to new target groups with current topics such as building and living, are working successfully. The demographic trend is a key driver in this regard, stimulating the requirement for information about innovative rehabilitation know-how, care concepts and new findings in rehabilitation and care. In addition, more and more elderly people are discovering that REHACARE offers a wealth of products and services that can make daily living easier for them as well."
The exhibitors at REHACARE 2008 praised the high level of visitor attendance on all days of the run and in particular the large number of trade visitors and buyers from abroad.
The German assistive devices industry is caught in the middle between long-term growth in demand for high-quality assistive devices and the efforts of statutory health insurers to make savings, which are putting massive pressure on prices. Companies operating in the international arena are finding a balance in foreign markets and, as a globally leading forum for the sector, REHACARE INTERNATIONAL in Düsseldorf is making an important contribution to this quest.
Bernd Engels, Director Product Management at Ulrich Alber GmbH in Albstadt, described REHACARE as "the world’s No. 1 event in the assistive devices industry. Our foreign distribution partners are fully represented and confirm that here in Düsseldorf they get a complete picture of the international market."
Thomas Appel, managing director of handicare GmbH, Geiselbullach, also spoke of "a top event attracting excellent trade representation from Germany and abroad."
According to information published by the SPECTARIS industry association to coincide with REHACARE 2008, the export quota of the German assistive devices market climbed above 50 percent for the first time in 2007. Foreign trade thus outstripped the domestic market. The most important trading partner of manufacturers of rollators, wheelchairs and prosthetics, for example, is the European Union which is the recipient of around 57 percent of exports. The association expects foreign business to grow much more strongly than domestic sales in the current year, too.
Exhibitors from abroad were similarly enthusiastic about REHACARE 2008 and its audience. For scooter manufacturer Freerider Corp. from Taiwan, which has been exhibiting at the fair for four years, this year’s REHACARE INTERNATIONAL was the best ever. “We are principally seeking importers for our products and have met interested parties from all over Western Europe as well as from Eastern Europe and Saudi Arabia here,” reports Markus Coradi, the company’s European representative.
The effects of the competition reinforcement law in the healthcare sector, which refers those with statutory health insurance cover to contract partners of their health insurance fund regarding the provision of assistive devices and limits their choice, concern not only the industry but also people with disabilities. Friedel Rinn, head of BAG Selbsthilfe, the German umbrella association of self-help groups, registered a huge demand for information among visitors to REHACARE. "Uncertainty prevails as to which costs are still being assumed by the health insurance funds. Families with disabled children in particular are expecting their budgets to be put under considerable pressure. Additional payments are unavoidable, especially since those affected wish to benefit from the huge range of innovations featured at REHACARE INTERNATIONAL and want to make the optimum provision for their children and relatives."
The Assistive Technology Forum of the Bundesverband Medizintechnologie (German Medical Technology Association – BVMed), which offered daily information events looking at this set of themes, tapped into the mood of the visitors and was extremely well frequented throughout the event.
All products that generate and assist mobility attracted considerable visitor interest at REHACARE 2008. Over one in two visitors to the event were interested in vehicles, wheelchairs and cars suitable for disabled users, followed by walking and mobility aids and daily living aids. The top attractions among the numerous theme parks and special events were the “Living Dream” theme park, assistive devices and information offers relating to children with handicaps and the exhibition of products that received the REHACARE DESIGN AWARD.
Product design is also an increasingly important sales argument in the assistive devices industry. The REHACARE DESIGN AWARD industry competition, held for the first time at REHACARE 2008, attracted 96 entries from 18 countries – a clear sign that design is becoming a key factor in the development of new products for rehabilitation and care. In all, 24 products received awards in the contest, which was organised and overseen by red dot projects, Essen.
The REHACARE congress of 16 and 17 October attracted considerable interest. In four half-day lecture series featuring 22 presentations and two panel discussions, 350 participants discussed “services and technology that facilitate self-determined home living for people at every stage in life”. Experts talked about the possibilities for “intelligent” networks and automation as well as technology-based services to create a more comfortable and safe home environment.
The next REHACARE will take place in Düsseldorf from 14 to 17 October 2009.
