The majority of elderly people prefer to spend their golden years in the comfort of their own homes. However, issues with gait and mobility can limit their ability to move freely.
Many of them find it difficult to carry out daily tasks like bathing, grooming and cooking. Travelling to see doctors and get diagnostic tests done is next to impossible.
Moving to a residential facility that takes care of their physical and emotional needs seems to be their only logical choice.
Unfortunately, many of Australia’s residential care facilities often fall short in meeting the needs of residents. Most residents are lonely and don’t feel loved.
Moving to a residential facility that takes care of their physical and emotional needs seems to be their only logical choice.
Unfortunately, Australia’s residential care facilities often fall short in meeting the emotional needs of residents. Most residents are lonely and don’t feel loved.
Like Neda Borenstein, who waited over three hours to be changed… and sang the Australian national anthem while she waited (https://www.abc.net.au/4corners/who-cares/10258290).
While aged care facilities should ensure that they take good care of their residents, studies show residents are alone 40% of the time. Staff, whenever present, do their best to interact with residents, verbally, emotionally and are physically but can often be very time-poor.
Some facilities even make residents feel unsafe. They lock those with dementia in secure units or physically restrain them with belts or bedrails. Taking such extreme decisions without first consulting the residents, causes them to lose their dignity and sense of autonomy.
According to a report released by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety, at least 1 in 3 seniors have experienced substandard care, and 50% of aged care facilities are understaffed.
As much as aged care workers love and care for the elderly, the lack of Government funding, lack of training, and a shortage of skilled workers limit their capacity to deliver high-quality service. The never-ending flow of administrative tasks, such as record keeping, further reduces the time caregivers have for health monitoring, medication administration, or simply dropping in for a friendly chat.
And as work pressures mount, caregivers have been known to treat residents like bodies that need washing and feeding rather than as human beings in need of emotional and physical support.
While Government funding can help increase worker pay scales and, to a large extent, solve the problem of worker shortage… residential facilities should focus on three areas if they wish to improve residents’ caregiving experience.
- Consult residents before taking major decisions
- Encourage social interaction between residents
- Make use of assistive technology
Of these three areas, assistive technology has the greatest potential to help residents live independently and with dignity while making better use of caregiver resources.
And there is nothing better than the eazense Powered by SOFIHUB for aged care facilities.
eazense, is a passive, real-time falls detection system for the elderly, based on new and unique radar sensor technology combined with AI.
eazense does not require the resident to wear or do anything.
It can detect, record, and log activity in a room, from live fall detection to irregular movement without using cameras. This is useful when seniors are having difficulty breathing or have left their rooms and have not returned on time.
eazense notifies caregivers and central care teams via the SOFIHUB Cloud Portal, allowing them to respond immediately.
Care monitors such as eazense enable the elderly to live independently, knowing that they will receive help in an emergency, such as a slip or a fall.
For caregivers, it reduces the number of unnecessary visits, resulting in significantly lower healthcare costs.
eazense provides carers with an opportunity to streamline tasks, finish pending record keeping and other administrative tasks and make more efficient use of their time.
Visit SOFIHUB to know more about care monitors like eazense.