Across Australia, there are 2,200 retirement villages, housing over 180,000 seniors ranging in age from 55 to 100.
But despite being an indispensable social necessity, Australia’s retirement villages face three major challenges.
Inadequately skilled labour:
A lack of specialised training, low pay, excessive work demands and lack of career opportunities frustrate workers, leading them to resign and look at other types of medical facilities for employment.
Remote areas have a difficult time attracting skilled workers:
A lack of infrastructure, outdated technology and lack of transport make rural areas and towns less appealing as places of work for registered nurses and certified caregivers. As a result, retirement communities in these areas find it difficult to fill vacant positions with skilled workers.
Difficulties in providing prompt medical attention:
The average age of retirement village residents is 80, up from 55 20 years ago. Older residents demand greater levels of medical care and mobility assistance, besides regular tasks like bathing, washing, and grooming.
But a majority of caregivers are ill-equipped to handle these specialised needs. And it’s easy to see why.
Retirement housing in Australia originated in the late 19th century when the church and charitable organisations provided not-for-profit housing to low-income aged workers.
Until recently, retirement homes served as a means of independent living and not places of care. Workers tended to housekeep and undertook basic duties like washing and grooming. Monitoring sick residents and providing sophisticated medical attention was unheard of.
Overworked and underpaid workers often lack the skills and motivation to provide the level of care needed to treat common old-age ailments such as dementia, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Many caregivers don’t have the time to drop in for a friendly chat or regularly monitor the health of their patients. Some of them are too busy to even engage with residents verbally, emotionally, or physically.
While it is important to interact with and promptly treat residents suffering from dementia and other illnesses, saving them from physical harm in the event of a fall could sometimes save their lives.
As seniors grow older, their risk of falling increases which can cause broken bones and brain injuries.
Falls not detected in time (which can happen with overworked caregivers) could lead to dehydration and even hypothermia.
Now, standardised training and imposing minimum staff-to-patient ratios could improve the situation, but doing so could increase Federal
Government funding from its already hefty $18 billion annually.
It’s time for retirement villages to embrace modern technology that can help ease problems like staff shortages, a lack of skilled workers, and the inability to provide prompt medical attention.
eazense Powered by SOFIHUB, a widely used medical alarm for seniors in Australia, is an excellent example of what retirement villages need.
eazense is a passive, real-time falls detection system and care monitor for the elderly and is based on unique radar sensor technology.
Here are a few advantages this radar sensor gives you:
- Provides live fall detection (including low impact falls) and detects the presence of multiple occupants in a room without the need for a wearable
- Constantly tracks body position
- Detects, records, and logs activity in a room, from live fall detection to irregular movement without using cameras. Besides alerting carers in the event of a fall, this medical alarm for seniors also notifies them when residents have not returned to their rooms on time, or are not in bed when they should be.
The eazense reduces caregiver requirements by allowing them to provide assistance only when it is truly needed, freeing them up to focus on other tasks like spending quality time with patients, upskilling themselves, or even completing administrative duties that never seem to end.
The result?
Happier and more motivated staff leading to higher productivity and reduced attrition rates. For the aged care facility, this can translate to more savings and an increase in revenue.
For the elderly, eazense represents autonomy and a sense of dignity. Seniors can live freely, knowing that eazense will rush aid to them in case of an emergency.
With the range of benefits they provide, medical alarms for seniors in Australia, such as eazense, improve workplace conditions in retirement villages and have a positive impact on the mental, emotional and physical health of residents.
Visit SOFIHUB to know more about eazense.