Cue2Walk makes it possible for People with Parkinson's to walk

‘Cueing turns an unconscious action into a conscious task by providing a rhythmic signal’ 

The Hague – the Netherlands, 19 September 2024 – Cue2Walk International has developed a device for individuals with Parkinson’s disease who experience gait disturbances. It is a device—a sensor worn on the leg—that detects movements and automatically triggers a rhythmic signal. In conjunction with therapy, patients learn to translate this rhythm into conscious movements. 

Floor Waardenburg (Managing Director): “Parkinson’s disease affects specific brain regions, leading to a wide variety of physical and mental symptoms. Over 60% of people with Parkinson’s develop freezing of gait, which is the sudden loss of the ability to control muscles. This often results in falls, mental and physical trauma, loss of confidence, increased dependency, and eventually more inactive lifestyle. This is a problem, because staying active is important to slow the disease’s progression.” 

Floor Waardenburg is one of the three entrepreneurs behind Cue2Walk International. Their work contributes to the municipality’s programme “Technology at home”: “Cueing is a simple technique to turn an unconscious action, such as walking through a door, into a conscious task by providing a rhythmic signal. Instead of focusing on walking, individuals concentrate on stepping on the rhythm of a beep or vibration. While cueing works well in practice, applying it independently at home can be difficult.” 

About The Hague as Healthcare Innovation Hub   

Cue2Walk is currently involved in several accelerator programmes and collaborates with the municipality of The Hague. Since 2016, the municipality has been investing in making healthcare future-proof. Together with residents, care providers, entrepreneurs, and educational institutions, they stimulate the development and implementation of the right care technology that helps residents of The Hague to live independently, longer and more comfortably at home. Part of this is the development of a new Healthcare Innovation Hub, opening in 2025. https://technologievoorthuis.nl/en/zorginnovatiehub/ 

Charlotte Krom, programme manager of “Technology at Home”, part of the Healthcare Innovation Hub in The Hague: “Older adults are at high risk of falls, which can be costly. The national government has set up a programme that municipalities can participate in to reduce the risk of falling. The Hague has a strong vision for integrating technological innovation into this fall prevention programme via different pilots. Working closely with many entrepreneurs, we try to eliminate the risk of falling for people with Parkinson’s.” 

Marielle Vavier, Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of The Hague says: “We are proud of this Healthcare Innovation Hub, which not only improves care locally, but which will also soon develop the care of the future for this region, for the Netherlands, and beyond.” 

 Read the full story on Storiesofpurpose from The Hague:  https://storiesofpurpose.thehague.com/impact/cue2walk   

About Cue2Walk  

Sander Minnoye (Technical Director) and Martijn van der Ent (Medical Director) founded the company in 2017. Since 2020, together with Floor Waardenburg, the three directors have worked collectively to advance their mission to optimize the freedom of movement for People with Parkinson’s. https://cue2walk.nl/ 

About ImpactCity 

ImpactCity The Hague is the city for entrepreneurs who combine ‘doing good and doing business’. ImpactCity offers a wide range of opportunities and services to entrepreneurs and other impact makers with innovative solutions. www.impactcity.nl