Key considerations for meaningful personalised content at scale

INCREASING RESIDENT WELLBEING ALONG WITH STAFF SATISFACTION SHOULD BE THE GOAL

The need to support all staff with efficient, effective and easy tools to provide meaningful engagement for residents, especially those living with dementia, has become paramount in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Staff shortages and added complexities with isolation protocols have reduced staff’s ability to provide the usual forms of resident engagement.

Overlaying this challenge is the high proportion of resident admissions presenting with higher care requirements, complex needs and highly progressed dementia.

While teams pull together and do what is required to care for their residents, the impacts are far-reaching and ultimately unsustainable.

The solution? Packaging engagement tools that are easy to administer and have a big impact on the lives of residents— boosting the morale of staff and residents alike.

The right technology is key

This perfect storm provides innovators with a unique opportunity to design a solution that supports all staff, whatever their primary function, with the ability to improve overall wellbeing outcomes for all residents.

To move the dial in a positive direction is to find the solution to personalisation at scale. Staff should be empowered to provide joy and connectedness with each resident they are serving— with the added benefit of staff achieving the reciprocity that will give them the energy and job satisfaction they need to keep coming back with energy and enthusiasm. Supporting technology should aim to equip staff to engage personally with each resident as easy as making a cup of tea.

It has to be easy

While COVID-19 has played a role in fast-forwarding the industry’s digital IQ, there are still significant challenges.

Aged care homes need a solution that provides support and partnership in this critical area.

Technologies should provide support to end-users through training and customer support staff who are experienced in and intimately understand the aged care environment. If a technology or system is cumbersome, complex or timeconsuming in any way, it is just not going to work.

Ultimately, for a new technology that focuses on resident wellbeing to be successful and deliver impact, it must play a role in improving the aged care experience for staff and residents alike.

It must be evidence-based

For a program to truly have value, it must be shown to improve resident wellbeing, such as support memory, reduce dementia behaviours, and improve physical function.

Holistic wellbeing is related to clinical, physical and psychological aspects of the person.

Before a program is implemented, or during an initial implementation period, there should be independent analysis of its effectiveness.

This will support any observations that take place, and provide a rationale for use of allocated funds.

Moove & Groove fills a niche

These were our key considerations when we developed Moove & Groove. It started from a simple idea—using wireless

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headphones to engage residents with music they love—that ended up as a pilot, and then a fully-fledged program offering a full range of personalised audio and video experiences and activities

Moove & Groove’s data, collected in partnership with homes using our product, demonstrate the positive outcomes that can be achieved when the right technology is married with training, ongoing support and content options.

A February-August 2021 pilot study provided clear evidence the Moove & Groove program significantly improves apathy and mood by 79 per cent, improving the mental health of residents.

Additional research conducted by Australian Catholic University showedstaffusingMoove&Grooveobservedreducedresponsive dementia behaviours by 70 to 80 per cent, and staff participating also reported a 80 per cent increase in job satisfaction.

Today, it is a full engagement solution with 1000s of audio and visual options, including languages and spiritual support options, with new content added in response to COVID-19, including videos and intergenerational offerings.

The immersive and joyful experiences can be utilised by residents easily with headphones, and the desire to get involved. Creating meaningful connections improves wellbeing.

It’s one way we can make a positive difference in the lives of older Australians.

Kate Sowden is General Manager, Sales & Partnerships, Moove & Groove. For more information visit www.mooveandgroove.com.au

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2022

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