Technology Roadmap for Aged Care in Australia
Aged care Technology Roadmap to support consumer choice and control
On 13 June 2017, The Technology Roadmap for Aged Care in Australia was released by the Aged Care Industry Technology Council (ACIITC) recognises the need for technology to underpin the delivery of aged care services and ensure independence, choice and control for consumers.
Prepared by the Flinders University Medical Device Research Institute on behalf of ACIITC, the report acknowledges three issues: population ageing that has never been experienced at the same level; the rapid development of new technologies; and, reform of the aged care sector that fundamentally changes the way in which older Australians will be supported.
The Technology Roadmap will ensure older people are able to remain independent for longer with choice and control over their support services. It highlights issues such as:
- Further reform depending on consumers being able to use technology in order to maintain independent lives or access services.
- Increasing consumer choice and control depending on engaging consumers in decision-making with aged care service providers.
- Aged care organisations will need to uptake IT in the provision of care.
- The aged care workforce will need to upskill its technology literacy.
“The aged care industry is in an era of unprecedented change. The convergence of current aged care reforms, business model transformation and technological disruption is reshaping multiple areas of the aged care industry. Consumers are at the centre of these changes and the Australian aged care industry is embracing this change,” ACIITC Chair Glenn Bunney said.
“Following the release of the Aged Care Sector Committee’s Aged Care Roadmap, ACIITC was interested in exploring the contribution technological interventions could make to realising the Aged Care Roadmap’s vision for a sustainable and robust aged care industry.
“It is hoped that the insights from this research will help policy makers evaluate the benefits of embracing technology as well as provide guidance and information for aged care providers seeking to embed appropriate technology in all aspects of their operations.
“The Aged Care Industry Information Technology Council trusts this work will assist in enhancing the positioning of the Australian aged care industry for a vibrant and sustainable future. Further, it is hoped that this work will stimulate continued research, evidence gathering, and the deployment of practical demonstration projects designed to explore how greater innovation and technological uptake will help to improve the quality of the aged care industry in Australia.”
The Technology Roadmap for Aged Care in Australia is available at: 2017 ACIITC Roadmap
A report on what the research and evidence is indicating in the sector
On 18 December 2019, the Aged Care Industry Information Technology Council released Aged and Community Sector Technology and Innovative Practice – A Report on what the Research and Evidence is indicating.
Given the speed of the technological change, ACIITC commissioned an update review. This report is based on a search of major research databases and of the grey literature, focusing on the period 2016 – 2019, updating the first review that identified research studies published 2011 – 2016.
The 2019 report overviews some of the most disruptive technologies. Finding from the literature review are presented in two main categories – technologies that support positive ageing and technologies that support the care of older people.
This Report explores key recent technology changes including:
- Advances in artificial intelligence and automation;
- Advance in blockchain and data analytics;
- The continued evolution of sensor technologies;
- Ongoing development of virtual reality and augmented reality; and
- Voice-activated technology.
The barriers and challenges to the adoption of technology-enhanced Ageing and Aged Care are considered in the report including individual readiness, ethical issues and organisational and system readiness.
ACIITC Chair, Dr George Margelis stated “This is important research work which details the evidence of the impact of new technologies on the delivery of care as well as service and business structures”.
The Aged Care Industry Information Technology Council is confident you will find this report impactful when considering future strategic directions for Aged and Community Care.
A summary of the report has been provided in the form of a discussion paper.
For a full copy of the Aged and Community Sector Technology and Innovative Practice – A Report on what the Research and Evidence is indicating or to review the discussion paper click here.