While recent attention on Aged Care has been focused on staff ratios and funding, large technology upgrades have been largely left off the table due to their complexity and cost of implementation, however that is about to change, for better or worse, says HSC Technology Group Managing Director Graham Russell.
Telstra is shutting down the 3G network, which is responsible for operating large amounts of the elderlys Personal Emergency Response System (PERS) devices across Australia, Mr Russell said.
This will be the catalyst for change the industry needs to bring its technology up to speed with 2021 and all providers should be taking advantage of it to transition their clients towards Ageing in Place Assistive Technology that incorporates more predictive forms of monitoring, such as AI and machine-led monitoring.
Many current 3G Emergency Response devices have not advanced in the last 30 years with simple alerts alerts to third parties in the event of incidents, while the next generation solutions provided a more advanced model monitoring movement to look for irregularities and providing proactive preventive automated alerts.
Simply replacing these devices with similar 4G-enabled devices is missing a huge opportunity to upgrade the entire technological base of the industry to provide better, less intrusive care for the elderly, according to Mr Russell.
Weve been stuck in an outdated form of thinking that independence means being left alone, and we dont agree with that. We think more technology is the answer to increasing independence for the elderly, which is why a new generation of monitoring devices are needed.
In response to this opportunity, HSC Technology Group has developed the TALIUS platform a 4G technology hub that uses AI and machine-learning to predict potential issues based on data, such as falls detecting falls, deterioration in health and vital signs and provide proportional alerts to the correct avenues.
Outsourcing repetitive and intrusive spot-checks to machines will allow carers to spend more time providing the human touch and meaningful interactions with the elderly. We think thats a positive change for the industry we cant afford not to take advantage of.
HSC Technology Group is a leading provider of Aged Care technology solutions and is currently offering Aged Care providers with no upfront cost upgrades of outdated 3G PERS devices to their Essence Care ( @ ) Home range, powered by TALIUS. They can be contacted at 1300 711 979.
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