Smart pad launches in NSW

On the back of a successful trial in Victoria, Simavita has introduced its smart incontinence pads to the NSW aged care market.

The SIMsystem was launched at Baptist Community Services’ (BCS) Shalom centre in Marsfield where it will undergo an extensive trial.

The remote monitoring device allows care staff in residential aged care to unobtrusively assess incontinence.

The CEO of BCS, June Heinrich said the organisation would roll the Simsystem out across its other facilities if it proved successful in the controlled trial.

“We want to see what difference it makes,” she said. “We are particularly interested in how much time it will save the nurses so that they have more time to put into quality of life interventions, rather than running around trying to find out whether a resident needs a continence pad change.

“If there are cost savings, we are not going to reduce staff hours. Instead we will redeploy our staff so that they can spend more time with the residents.”

The SIMsystem first gained mainstream attention when it aired on the ABC’s New Inventors program in November 2008.

The system has been tested and implemented at Samarinda Lodge in Melbourne’s east and it was launched in Victoria last November.

“Incontinence management is a key area in which innovative technologies can benefit aged care,” said the CEO of Simavita, Philippa Lewis.

“We developed [the] SIMsystem to provide greater comfort and dignity to the elderly while aiming to significantly lower costs for aged care facilities.”