McKenzie Aged Care is collaborating with RMIT University, Victoria University, and the University of Newcastle, together with partner organisations – Fronditha Care, SmartHeal, Netlinkz and CSIRO’s Data61 – as part of the Next Generation Graduates Program.
An initiative of the CSIRO, the Next Generation Graduates Program, ‘Developing Digital Capabilities to Support the Aged Care Sector,’ will fund 13 university student scholarships over the next four years to work towards solutions for how the role of technology can improve service delivery in aged care.
“We are thrilled to be involved with this exceptional group of organisations, universities and research bodies, who will be applying their knowledge and skills to develop a future aged care landscape that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and emerging technologies to reimagine the role that technology plays in an aged care setting,” said Simon Keating, CEO of McKenzie Aged Care.
“With consumer-directed care as the focus, there is no doubt that AI and assistive technologies can assist staff and residents in the day-to-day operations in the residential aged care environment.
“Digital innovations, such as incident detection and using facial recognition to detect whether a resident is in pain or distress, along with technologies and software that improve the efficiency of administrative tasks, will allow the aged care sector to provide improved levels of care for older Australians,” Keating said.
CSIRO estimates that Australian industry will need up to 161,000 new AI specialists and AI-savvy workers by 2030.
“The program provides exciting opportunities for university students seeking a career in AI and emerging technologies while helping to improve the future delivery of quality care to older Australians,” said Mr Keating.
