Judith Leeson AM

Ambassador, Caring Futures Institute; Advocate for quality aged care service

I am in receipt of home care and support, and highly value the contribution of my designated workers who enable me to live happily in my own home with my husband. As a strong advocate for person-led care and support, I hold aged care providers to the highest standards, looking for evidence-informed practice, and the embedding of care and compassion into all relationships and interventions.

Reflecting on my own career development over many decades of constant change, innovation, and technological advance I have been part of the generation who entered the workforce, not long after the end of World War ll, as a young teacher with modest qualifications, enormous enthusiasm and an aptitude and passion for teaching and learning. My career in early childhood education was marked by a compelling desire to make a difference to young children who were disadvantaged by nature and nurture, or by both. While my qualifications were modest my motivation was strong, and after eight years teaching in rural and metropolitan schools, I moved into a leadership position which required not only skills and knowledge, but also the ability to search out models of evidence-informed practice. However, I doubted my ability to re-engage with formal study, and at that stage could not see the advantages of gaining further qualifications. Fast forward, following some years overseas, and then as a stay-at-home mum, I re-entered the workforce, part-time, working with young children with serious developmental delays in the community. I really enjoyed the high standard of in-house professional development and loved mastering new tools and techniques. While my experience enabled me to learn quickly and apply that to practice, I was not really regarded as a professional, and was restricted from operating in some areas where I had a natural aptitude. Moreover, I was sometimes frustrated by having my practice questioned, my abilities curtailed, and my desire for further responsibility denied. I did not believe that the standard of my work was lower than that of my more formally qualified colleagues. I was very apprehensive about undertaking further studies, and fearful of failure, but after some delays and much encouragement I enrolled in a two-year, part-time Diploma of Early Childhood bridging course, while I was working part-time. I discovered that my previous and current experience enabled me to apply my learning to my studies, and that gaining higher level qualifications enabled me to successfully apply for promotion positions.

My intellectual progress, increased mastery of my skills, and the ability to translate theory into practice, enabled me to offer a higher level of service to my clients, and incidentally enabled me to create a more satisfying career pathway. But I remember that as the fear of failure gradually gave way to a growing sense of competence, my time management skills reflected my new priorities, and I began to value my experience as a framework for new learning. I also acquired a taste for learning that drives me to this day.

I can see some similarities with my career journey, and that of many workers in community and residential aged care and support, with rich life experiences, helpers by nature, and dedicated to their clients, who are learning informally as they work, but who doubt the relevance or logistics of undertaking further learning through some more formal study.

So, dear Care Worker, I encourage you to consider and undertake further learning, and to construct a career path which provides you and your clients with the confidence that you are, with your experience and knowledge, willing and able to offer exemplary care and support to your cohort of elders. One of my values for living is to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’, and if one of you is motivated to break out of your comfort zone to embark on your own learning journey, I will be delighted, and will celebrate your courage.

*The views and opinions expressed in Knowledge Blogs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of ARIIA, Flinders University and/or the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.

Dr Merran Cooper, CEO

Touchstone Life Care

Aged care is an increasingly important area in healthcare, and technology is helping to drive improvements in the quality of care that elderly people receive. Research into aged care technology is helping to develop new solutions to some of the most pressing challenges faced by healthcare providers and elderly care recipients, assist their implementation, and address barriers to their uptake and sale. 

A key focus of research in this area is on the development of systems and devices that can monitor the health and wellbeing of elderly people. Wearable devices such as smart watches and fitness trackers can be used to monitor vital signs such as heart rate and body temperature and can alert carers and family members if any changes occur. These devices can also be used to detect falls and can provide data on the activity levels of elderly people. 

Another key focus of research is on the development of systems and devices that can provide assistance to elderly people in their homes. This includes the use of robots and other automated systems to help elderly people with tasks such as cleaning and laundry, as well as providing reminders and notifications about medication and appointments. There are a number of systems and devices available that allow for video conferencing and remote monitoring of elderly people's health and wellbeing. These systems allow for real-time communication between elderly people and their carers, as well as providing information on changes in vital signs. 

Research has begun into the use of technology to improve communication between elderly people and their carers. Cloud-based care plans are being utilised to provide elderly individuals with the ability to easily create, share, manage, and access their own personalised care plans and advance care plans. Additionally, this technology is allowing care providers to share information more quickly, streamline communication, and keep elderly people more informed about their care. Research into this technology includes learning how to create digital systems that are easy to access and navigate, even for those with some cognitive decline, to ensure that elderly people are receiving the most effective and person-centred care possible, and their families and carers are part of an informed care team for shared decision-making.  

Technology can be especially difficult to implement in aged care due to the complexity of the caregiving environment. Aged care is often provided by multiple carers in multiple locations, with different levels of technology literacy and training. This can make it difficult for technology to be efficiently integrated into the caregiving process. Therefore, future research must include how human factors impact the uptake and implementation of technology. These factors include an aging population with varying levels of technical literacy, a lack of understanding of the technology and how to properly use it, and a lack of resources, such as time and money, to properly support the technology. Additionally, many elderly people may be resistant to change or may not be able to easily learn how to use the technology. 

Perhaps one of the greatest barriers to the adoption of digital technology in aged care is the lack of customer support available. Without adequate customer support and education, elderly people, their carers and care providers, may be unable to use the technology properly or may be unable to access the features and benefits of the technology. This can lead to a lack of trust in the technology, which may further hamper its adoption. Research into the best way to support new innovations after implementation is lacking and this is an area that needs to be further explored. 

Technology is making a huge impact in improving the quality of life for many elderly people. Alliances between different organisations, such as healthcare providers, technology companies, and software developers, will help to overcome the challenges faced by elderly people and their caregivers. ARIIA is supporting, collaborating, and collating these alliances to ensure that evidence-based technologies that make a real difference are developed, implemented, supported, and funded.  

*The views and opinions expressed in Knowledge Blogs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of ARIIA, Flinders University and/or the Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care.