Planning for the future: How asset capture is transforming aged care maintenance

In the fast-paced, complex worlds of aged care and retirement living, safety, compliance and operational efficiency are paramount. At the heart of it all is the residents themselves — your most valuable assets — yet they are surrounded by everyday and specialist equipment that is incredibly valuable in their own right. That’s where asset capture comes in.

Why asset capture matters in aged care

Having a clear, accessible picture of every asset in your residential care home or retirement community is no longer a luxury, it’s a necessity.

Asset capture is a systematic process that records detailed information and images of all maintainable assets with a facility, both indoors and outdoors. For aged care providers and retirement living operators, this process plays a critical role in meeting regulatory requirements, streamlining maintenance, and making smarter decisions about asset replacement and budgeting. 

In aged care, the assets that support daily living include the beds residents sleep on, kitchen equipment staff use to store food and cook meals with, air conditioning units, medical devices, and more. They are all essential to maintaining a safe and comfortable environment for residents. 

When these assets are poorly cared for and inconsistently managed, it can impact everything from resident well-being to provider compliance. 

That’s why organisations such as MDFM offer specialist asset capture services as part of their broader asset maintenance and management suite. As the industry’s only specialists in this field, their tailored services and structured approach is helping aged care providers gain better visibility over their asset portfolios. 

“Over the years, MDFM has successfully completed numerous asset registers for Whiddon,” shared Mamunur Rashid, Property Program Lead, Whiddon.

“Whether it’s updating our Asset Management Plan, adding a new facility, or capturing a major refurbishment, we can always count on MDFM to provide accurate asset data and ensure it is seamlessly integrated into our asset management software.

“MDFM has a deep understanding of our assets and their usage within our facilities and villages. They efficiently complete asset captures without disrupting our residents or staff.

“Whiddon depends on high-quality asset data to guide our asset management and budget decisions, and the data provided by MDFM consistently reflects their expertise and experience in our industry. We look forward to continuing our partnership with MDFM.”

The MDFM approach: A step-by-step process

MDFM’s asset capture begins well before their team arrives on site. The process starts with a planning phase where MDFM works closely with the management team to develop a complete list of assets tailored to the needs of your organisation. 

A custom asset capture program will be developed, based on the size and scope of the property. 

Once on-site, MDFM’s specialist team begins the physical capture process. Every asset is documented in a digital system that records:

• A photograph
• Brand and model number
• Functional and maintenance critical information

To streamline future maintenance and tracking, each item is also tagged with a unique QR code or barcode, allowing for fast retrieval of its history, condition, or service schedule. This not only simplifies day-to-day operations, but also strengthens long-term planning and capital expenditure forecasting. 

From resident rooms and common areas, to kitchens, laundries and outdoor settings, no asset is overlooked. For a 100-bed home, the onsite capture takes roughly eight days to complete, depending on the number of buildings and asset density.

After the on-site work is completed, MDFM processes the collated data at their head office. Customers can choose to have their asset data integrated directly into their existing Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS) or Facilities Management (FM) platform, or MDFM can guide you through choosing the right software to purchase. 

MDFM can then use this rich dataset to formulate a comprehensive asset management plan tailored to the organisation’s needs. 

This flexible, end-to-end solution gives aged care providers clarity and control over their asset lifecycle management, empowering them to manage risk, reduce maintenance delays, and maintain high standards of care. 

A smarter way forward

With increasing regulatory scrutiny and operational pressure in the aged care sector, asset capture is becoming an essential tool for proactive maintenance management. It bridges the gap between compliance and efficiency, turning a traditionally manual task into a data-driven foundation for improvement.

For aged care and retirement living organisations seeking to future-proof their facilities and ensure a safer, more efficient environment for residents and staff alike, investing in a professional asset capture service with MDFM is a smart and timely move. 

You can visit MDFM’s website for more information on asset capture, or contact the experienced team directly to ask how MDFM’s specialised services can help you.