Incorporating more technology into your service or facility

Technology can be used as a tool to address many of the challenges facing aged care providers as reporting requirements change, workforce strain is felt sector-wide and more people need aged care services.

However, it can sometimes be difficult to see how technology would improve the situation and the benefits of investing in technology may not be evident at first glance.

The right technology can help deliver better outcomes for clients, which should be a key driver for all aged care providers. 

So as a provider, how do you know you’re on the right track and how can you incorporate more technology into your service or facility?

The current situation

Whilst the majority of residential aged care beds these days are managed with clinical software and many providers use some sort of medication management software, a recent report from RMIT University shows 42% of aged care providers have no digital strategic plan, less than half use even the most basic smart technology, and only 14% use fully integrated software systems.

The Transforming Aged Care: Towards a future in which digitisation clasps hands with respect, and connection drives improvement report, released at the end of July this year, also found that while 61% of older people use the internet, only “a handful” of aged care facilities offer WiFi.

Even something as seemingly simple as providing WiFi access for residents, so they can feel connected to people outside of the facility or search for their own favourite movie to watch, for example, can make a difference to the wellbeing of residents. Basic technology like internet service may also require minimal investment or infrastructure compared to the benefits.

Across Australia there are examples of facilities using a wide range of technology, from low cost adaptable tech right through to sophisticated infrastructure, such as;

• Assistive technology for mobility and safety of residents, including assisting staff to move residents, for example bed hoists and shower chairs
• Motion sensors for safety, for example to detect if a resident has a fall
• Facial recognition for security, for example to allow certain people to enter a secure dementia unit
• Telehealth for healthcare that does not need to be done in person
• Tablets and other mobile devices to help residents connect with family and others outside the facility
• Virtual reality to train staff in care, particularly specialised care such as for people with dementia
• Sensory technology to improve wellbeing and social programs for residents
• Robots for delivering food
• Robots for collecting laundry
• Robots for infection control and cleaning

With all these options and many more on the market, you need a clear idea of how to identify the technology that will be the most helpful for your service or facility.

A good starting point is to develop a digital strategic plan outlining what investment in technology should do for your organisation.

To get started on your digital strategic plan you can focus on the outcomes you want to achieve.

Focusing on outcomes

While there are different challenges technology can help with in home care and residential care settings, there are common outcomes that providers of care can aim for and use to assess the suitability of technology.

Focusing on these outcomes gives providers a way to identify what technology option is the best investment for their situation and will provide the most benefit for the ultimate outcome – quality care.

These outcomes can be summed up in three clear goals any technology should help providers work towards:

• To help deliver better outcomes for clients
• To improve staff experience, helping to attract and retain staff
• To optimise opportunity for the organisation to benefit through delivering better care and improving organisational outcomes

Daniel Pilbrow, Intelicare Chief Executive Officer (CEO), spent 28 years in the aged care sector and has recently moved into the tech side of care.

He understands the challenges of providers but believes investing in technology is, “good for care.”

“It’s good for clients and it’s good for staff,” Mr Pilbrow said.

The questions providers grapple with, according to Mr Pilbrow, are, “Where do I start?” and “Where do I invest?”, and he says the answer is that technology investment should be about providing higher quality care.

Investing in staff and organisational outcomes

Paper based record systems are still widely used and a lot of time and resources are directed towards enhancing providers’ record management to make it more efficient and enable more time to be spent on direct care.

Clinical documentation is an area in which there are many opportunities for automation, and an area many providers are already considering worthy of investment through electronic care records.

Mr Pilbrow said although the benefits of electronic records appear to be only organisational, in reality providers are finding it an important area of investment because of the greater benefits as well.

“Care is a people centric business, so if providers can invest in technology that frees up staff to spend more time with clients, be they home care or residential, that’s only going to bring benefit,” he said.

The other major benefit to using technology for records and moving away from paper based systems is that the reporting required of aged care providers is also through electronic systems.

The better the electronic data your organisation keeps, the easier it is to meet your compliance, regulatory and reporting requirements.

There are a range of specific types of technology and software that could be used to support staff and improve organisational processes, including:

• Electronic care records
• Health records
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems – which may be combined with health records
• Medication management systems
• Rostering programs
• Workflow management systems
• Health and wellbeing analytics – to learn more about clients and help identify when they need changes in care
• Finance systems
• Payroll systems
• Assistive technology for use in a client’s home or residential facility

Investing in technology systems and products such as these help to streamline the processes of an organisation, making life easier for staff and management and allowing them to spend more time providing better, more targeted, care to their clients.

Remember technology is not a substitute for adequate staffing, but it can support the staff and free up their time for the human caring that cannot be done through technology.

The right balance

Finding technology that can be adapted to exactly what a provider needs to achieve the best outcomes is also important, as technology that is the wrong fit can cause further issues.

Mr Pilbrow explains, “Staff in residential and home care are just so pushed for time and one of the benefits technology can bring – I’m careful in saying that – is that it can help free up time for staff to care better. But sometimes if it’s not done well or not planned well it can actually create more administrative burden for staff.”

The key to finding a solution that does not create other problems is to choose technology that is tailored to your organisation, just as you tailor care to your clients.

“It’s not a one size fits all, there’s no magic silver bullet,” Mr Pilbrow said.

To find the right technology for your organisation, the best place to start is to make a list of the challenges your service is facing and prioritise which are the most pressing issues. 

Once you have an idea of the biggest challenges, you can look for technology that fits these issues and your situation. This planning can all be part of your digital strategic plan and inform your decisions on investment.

The Department of Health and Aged Care has a webpage focused on resources for digital transformation in the aged care sector, which can provide further ideas and information.