Dementia wellbeing tech company rebrands to Resparke

Provider of evidence-based dementia care and wellbeing technology Moove & Groove has announced a rebrand as Resparke.

Helping keep residents active, entertained and socially connected, the technology involves people wearing headphones to listen to music, podcasts, a yoga or meditation class, or a religious and cultural activity.

“The new name Resparke is inspired by the spark we see in resident’s eyes when they put the headphones on and experience the program for the first time,” said CEO Alison Harrington – who also founded the company in 2018.

The rebrand comes as Resparke releases new product enhancements aimed – not just to improve resident wellbeing and manage changed behaviours – but to also assist with compliance and improve job satisfaction.

They include:

• a fully integrated music solution to deliver personalised music engagement
• an upgraded resident preferences management system
• smart content-matching technology.

“These three components combine to enable resident information and preferences to be easily uploaded and transformed into a dynamic profile page,” said Ms Harrington. “This supports care staff to access personalised music and video selections at the click of a button.”

The first round of the product enhancements will be released in three weeks. In the meantime, they are currently being tested in aged care homes. Over the subsequent two months, further updates will be released.

A game changer for care teams

The platform also features extensive language options, added Ms Harrington. “Given the increasing cultural diversity of older Australians in care, accessing over 40-plus languages in one place is a game changer for care teams.”

These additions, said Ms Harrington, make it easier and quicker for time-poor staff to provide efficient, person-centred care.

It is also anticipated the new enhancements will deliver benefits in supporting staff to manage dementia behaviours.

This will be the focus of ongoing research, supported by a grant from Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia in partnership with Twilight Aged Care and Australian Catholic University.

Previous independent research has shown positive results:

• 78 per cent increase in resident mood improvement
• 79 per cent reduction in resident aggression
• 80 per cent improvement in care staff job satisfaction.

Resparke technology is being used in hundreds of aged care homes across Australia – from large metropolitan sites to small rural facilities.

Speaking to Australian Ageing Agenda, Ms Harrington said: “Over the past four years in the sector, I have met many wonderful people with big hearts who deeply care for residents and do their best every day. The truly beautiful stories of moments of pure joy and connection our program creates that our customers share inspire me to keep building upon and creating the very best program we can to deliver even more impact.”

Main image: Resparke equipment package

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