Digital guide for aged care workers

AN AWARD-WINNING IDEA GROWN WITH innovAGEING

An idea to help aged care support workers improve their skills, efficiency and confidence has become an innovation success story, fostered by Australia’s innovAGEING network.

Occupational Therapists Emma Small and Aideen Gallagher set up their own business Risk Managed to develop their idea for a SmartCare Passport—a digital tool that support workers could have with them at all times as a guide for their day-to-day work as well as unfamiliar tasks.

Motivated to help address sector challenges such as poor care, limited resources, inconsistent care routines, lack of skilled workers and workforce deficits, the ambitious pair worked hard to develop their idea.

In 2019, Emma and Aideen applied to take part in the innovAGEING National Challenge, a hackathon hosted at KPMG Australia’s Innovation Lab in Sydney. One of eight teams chosen from a pool of 30, they used the opportunity to develop the concept and prototype for the SmartCare Passport.

Risk Managed were runners up at the National Challenge, which secured them a place in the Commonwealth Bank’s (CBA) Aged Care Mini-Incubator program, and allowed them to fine-tune their business model for SmartCare.

Following a successful trial with age services provider LiveBetter, Risk Managed and LiveBetter won the 2021 innovAGEING National Award for Increasing Care and Service Productivity. Aideen Gallagher and Emma Small are pioneering innovation in age services.

“SmartCare supports workers’ knowledge to help them feel confident and competent in delivering quality care. In return, clients receive care that is consistent, consumer-centred and tailored to what the older person needs.

It was clear their innovation could significantly enhance the ability of aged care workers to provide quality care, as well as improve individual efficiency.

The SmartCare Passport provides a step-by-step pictorial guide on how to provide a personal care routine and allows the carer to document their skills and when faced with an unfamiliar task, they can use the tool to undertake further training. including shoulder and back injuries, which could be avoided with proper training,” Emma says.

“We were particularly focused on providing information in relation to declining function of the older person. For example, becoming unsteady on their feet, unable to stand from the toilet, get out of bed or fear of care due to dementia.”

Emma and Aideen’s recent success solidifies Risk Managed as a company that’s now contributing to sector quality care outcomes.

“We’re thrilled to have won this Award, and we are grateful to innovAGEING and LiveBetter, who gave us the opportunity, and trusted us with their clients, and for their commitment to delivering a much better care experience,” Emma said.

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example of how an age services innovation idea can be made real with the right support and network innovators.

“It’s a great example of learning from other sectors, and subsequently adding to the national innovation system in return—we are grateful to our Foundation Partners, the CBA and KPMG Australia for making this possible,” says Merlin.

“innovAGEING is proud of their innovation journey to date, and National Awards success. They were judged by an objective panel who saw instantly how their SmartCare Passport could help the sector, and most importantly, older Australians,” says Merlin.

Emma says it’s a two-way street.

“We’re incredibly thankful to innovAGEING for supporting Risk Managed from concept to business reality. Being a change-maker can at times be a lonely experience, we’re so glad innovAGEING was there for us,” she said.

Emma and Aideen hope to further roll out the SmartCare Passport to other providers and improve the home care support experience for both the carer and the client across Australia.

Kate Hannon is Aged Care Reform Communications Advisor, Leading Age Services Australia. For more information visit www.riskmanaged.com.au

The SmartCare™ Passport

Personal care routine Client information

Safe moving and handling

Signs care is unsafe Background training

The guidance offered by the SmartCare Passport is improving quality of care.