Publish date: 22 March 2022
Bethanie to trial AI technology to advance health and wellbeing of aged care residents
New technology to be installed at Bethanie’s Aged Care Homes
aims to enhance residents’ ageing experience by collecting real-time data about their health and wellbeing.
Bethanie, Western Australia’s leading aged care provider
, said the feasibility trial would collect behavioural and health data via sensors installed around the home. The data will then be processed using artificial intelligence and downloaded to a dashboard to give carers a richer insight into residents’ health and wellbeing.
Bethanie Chief Executive Officer Christopher How said the technology also had the potential to allow staff to spend more time interacting with and caring for residents as it monitored and recorded their vital signs.
“The technology is exciting and a first to be deployed in residential care in Australia. We are hoping the three-month trial will allow Bethanie to deliver better health and care outcomes for residents,” Mr How said.
“Bethanie aims to positively change the way Australians experience ageing. Our investment will help us achieve this by empowering our staff with the data-driven knowledge needed to proactively care for clients with integrity, compassion, and respect.’’
Bethanie is partnering with Optus and InteliCare to undertake the feasibility trial. To collect consumer insights, motion sensors, radar sensors and fall detectors will be installed in several residences with consent from residents and their next of kin.
Trend data collected from these sensors will be displayed on InteliCare’s pro dashboard and mobile app. The data provides Bethanie staff with the insights to detect falls, monitor wellbeing and gain a 360 overview of the residents’ health to spot early signs of deterioration and customise care accordingly.
InteliCare Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Jason Waller said the company was committed to developing its products to match the growing needs of health and aged care providers nationwide.
“It is important to note that this technology does not use cameras or microphones, rather tiny sensors are used to monitor activity and routines,” Mr Waller said.
InteliCare is an ASX listed Australian technology company which has commercialised a predictive hardware and software system for use in the sector.
Mr Waller said the automation of administrative and data entry tasks would help to streamline tasks and optimise workflow for residential aged care homes.
