* Republished as an excerpt from Fusion Magazine – Autumn 2022, the quarterly magazine produced by Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) the national association for all providers of age services across residential care, home care and retirement living/seniors housing.
Technology innovator Rauland Australia has implemented the Responder nurse call solution in Apollo Care’s aged care facilities to improve resident safety, enhance care team communication and improve response times.
The solutions are scalable, can be integrated to support care staff workflow and documentation requirements, deliver mobile reporting to support quality care decisions, and can interact in a cloud-based technology environment.
Rauland’s high-tech Responder nurse call solutions were implemented into three Apollo sites in Maryborough and Rock hampton, giving its care team mobility when responding to residents, liaising with other staff and accessing documentation.
Apollo selected a mobile device that can distribute services using an app interface cleverly integrated with Rauland’s nurse call and resident safety technologies.
“The ability to communicate more efficiently with nurse call plus integrate with smart mobile devices is empowering employees to provide proactive care to residents. A direct speech pathway from the mobile device to resident rooms has been proven to reduce response times and improve satisfaction for residents (and their families) when they need assistance,” said Cameron Burt, Chief Executive Officer at Rauland Australia.
“In addition to the Responder nurse call solution and carer mobility, 4D radar resident safety monitoring has been pre-wired into the ceilings, which will soon provide 24/7 discreet monitoring for residents to detect falls, identify when residents move out of bed, notify staff when residents require assistance and ensure a rapid response.”
The drive for digital transformation and the use of technology is now greater than ever in the residential aged care sector as a direct result of industry challenges as well as new standards and a new act soon to come into effect.
Rauland’s reporting dashboard also ensures Apollo can keep pace with regulatory and compliance changes. This live data ensures the care team can identify quality care initiatives every day. Barry Ashcroft, Chief Operating Officer at Apollo Care comments, “Apollo Care’s purpose is to support older Australians to live their way with grace and dignity. Investment in technology is a critical part of this delivery. By improving the efficiency and effectiveness of our care teams, we can free up more time for them to focus on what’s most important, caring for residents.
“Rauland has a solid product that is used globally, supported by strong local and national teams with the resources to assist when needed.
“There were a number of features that we like about Rauland’s high-tech nurse call solution, including IP based architecture with various integration benefits. The voice, mobile devices and data reporting all feed into our current IT system.
“The ability to leverage off resident monitoring with voice activation services at all bedsides through call points is very important. The nurse call solution can easily be upgraded or replaced at new sites, ensuring the same solution is available across all sites.”
Cutting edge technology is a key part of Apollo’s expansion plans. The ability to easily transition new facilities into
the company’s cloud-based technology environment and operational model was identified as paramount to the growth and success of the business.
Rauland’s Concentric Care enterprise platform, which incorporates Responder nurse care solutions provides facilities with the value of a complete, end-to-end communication and technology experience. Scalable enterprise architecture brings organisations, facilities and care teams together with a single technology solution, adaptive to the size and specialised aged care environment.
Mr Ashcroft concluded, “Technology is not only an enabler, but absolutely essential for aged care facilities to consistently deliver quality care to their residents.
“One of the key recommendations in the Aged Care Royal Commission’s final report was for providers to formulate a technology strategy and roadmap that marries commercial business strategy with improved resident outcomes. This recommendation is at the forefront of Apollo’s investment and expansion plan strategy.”
