ACIITC report shows impacts of aged care technology

The sector’s technology council has produced a report to improve aged care providers’ understanding of current technology and innovation relevant to the industry.

The Aged Care Industry Information Technology Council report Aged and Community Sector Technology and Innovative Practice outlines what the research and evidence is indicating based on a literature review of academic, government, business and industry reports produced from 2016 to 2019.

It provides an update on the literature showcased in the aged care technology roadmap, which the ACIITC launched in 2017, and focuses on technologies that support positive ageing and independent living and technologies that support and enhance the care of older people.

Chair of ACIITC’s national home care group and report co-author Anne Livingstone said the resource could help guide providers’ decisions on technology.

“It looks at some of the most critical issues for operations of concern on consumer-centric care and quality consumer-centric care,” Ms Livingstone told Australian Ageing Agenda.

Importantly it provides an update on critical technology advances and changes impacting the sector, she said.

“Technology and innovative practices have evolved rapidly over the last couple of years and the body of research is increasing and improving.

“It covers both a new period of time, but we also followed up specifically on a number of key items that we were seeing had evolved over that two or three years,” Ms Livingstone said.

Topics explored in the report include:

• artificial intelligence
• smart homes supporting independent living
• technology-based monitoring and surveillance
• falls prevention, detection and management
• pain management.

A lack of evidence-based information is one of the barriers aged care providers may face when looking to adopt technology, Ms Livingstone said.

She said aged care providers should look at how they can embed technology throughout their operations.

“The sector’s got to look further at not just acknowledging technology and innovation as a bolt on, but they need to incorporate it in everyday service delivery.

“I think some of the challenges are getting the service model right, getting the workforce right and ensuring that the workforce has the digital maturity to provide the necessary skill sets to operate, to maintain and to be aware of that technology,” Ms Livingstone said.

Other authors of the report include managing director at Stand Out Report Dr Kate Barnett and ACIITC representatives Dr George Margelis, Gavin Tomlins and Rod Young.

Request access to the Aged and Community Sector Technology and Innovative Practice report and accompanying discussion paper here.

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