In this guest post, Greg O’Loan, Regional Vice President ANZ, Epicor, provides advice to those looking to make technology-related investments in 2021.
Aged care is an essential service trailing far behind other industries when it comes to embracing new technology. In order to not be fully left behind, the industry must accept digital transformation and the rapid acceleration of digitisation currently available to us to assist and improve societal and personal wellbeing.
Heightened by COVID-19, gaps in communication, connectivity, operational efficiencies, customer experience, and quality of resident care have been brought to light and must be addressed immediately.
Building business efficiencies and agility are crucial for these organisations, which are providing essential services during these challenging times.
And technology is a part of that essential service – ultimately, helping the sector improve on costs and upgrade efficiencies while improving resident care and supporting staff on their digital journey.
Making the right technology investments to improve resident care and support staff in 2021
When looking at which technology investments to make in 2021, aged care and home care providers need to first look at what is most needed within their organisation from an operational perspective, and prioritise areas that could achieve the most benefits for staff, residents, clients and their families.
From an operational and cost perspective for example, predictive analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) can help predict trends of beds based on trends and availability within an aged care facility and thus help improve planning.
Not-for-profit welfare company Wintringham, home and community care provider for the Finnish community Finncare and Victoria-based aged care organisation MannaCare recently turned to Epicor Software Corporation to further their digital transformation and meet the new expectations of the digital age.
Delivering a modern end-to-end digital management platform to help these aged and community care organisations will see them automate processes, and focus on delivering high-quality, personalised care to their residents and clients.
The solution will help the three organisations achieve greater visibility, productivity, agility and traceability – from organisation-wide service management all the way to rostering – helping them meet the distinct needs of their residents and clients, staff, and external stakeholders. A fantastic example of aged care providers embracing their digital journey, Industry 4.0, for their residents or clients.
Residential and home care organisations want to give all their attention to their residents and clients. Having the right technology empowers them to do just that, and not worry about the back end, having to manually handle processes that could easily be streamlined and optimised through technology. We help free the hands of employees so they can do what they do best: deliver quality personalised care to people who need it.
A connected world helps aged care providers navigate their digital journey with residents, clients, family, advocates and staff in mind
We’ve never been more connected than today. No matter the industry, technology has completely transformed how we live, how we work, and how businesses operate.
We need to look at ways to use new technologies to provide truly resident and client-centric care as well as effective communication and collaboration amongst staff and key stakeholders. The value of Epicor Customer Experience Platform helps build this holistic overview.
Effective communication is of particular importance as this has proven to have a major impact on both residents and clients’ mental wellbeing. Moreover, improvements can also be seen within staff productivity and the ability to provide care that is adapted to each individual.
Technology is the most cost-effective and simplest way to solve that problem. But it’s not the only positive outcome it can achieve.
Ultimately, technology is here to help deliver high-quality and personalised care to residents and clients, while streamlining processes and control costs for an overall better experience for all.
The Australian aged care system wasn’t built with the nation’s rapidly ageing population in mind – making it a challenge to cope with increasing demand. But technology is here to help – we must help the aged care providers navigate this digital journey – together.
