The release of the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety report has given us an opportunity for the government, providers and the community to explore ways together which we can address the challenges. The need to do so is urgent as our population continues to get older while overcoming challenges in the care workforce will take time.
One of the recommendations in the report is to adopt technology to transform the aged care system so that carers' time can be best used to deliver quality care. The report also noted the use of technology to increase connectedness of older Australians - to one another, their family and carers, and to the broader community as our social structure change.
Reimagining the role of technologies in aged care will be critical in ensuring the sustainability of the sector. Our industry partners are driven by these challenges everyday, with issues falling into one of the three key areas: (i) how to help our strained workforce with technology; (ii) how can technology play a role in uplifting the well-being and quality of life of our aged Australians; and (iii) how to improve the patchy digital capability present across the sector.
Students interested in this program should email ai.analytics.hub@rmit.edu.au in the first instance. Please indicate NGGP-PhD opportunities in the subject line.
Recent updates
On 31 August, the lead organised the first workshop to commence engagement with stakeholders relevant to the aged care sector. The session was held at RMIT University, where aged care stakeholders get to hear about the NGGP project and the research that is currently undertaken by researchers involved. The presentation also involved CSIRO scientists and industry technologies.
The invitation was sent out to aged care facilities in Victoria and has a very good turn out as seen in the photos. The workshop took the opportunity to hear from the aged care stakeholders on their pain points to help further inform the way we will execute the projects within the NGGP grant scheme.
Chief Investigators
Professor Kok-Leong Ong, Associate Professor Andy Song, Dr Chao Chen, Professor Vasso Apostolopoulos, Associate Professor Daniel Lai, Professor Rezaul BeggUniversities
RMIT, Victoria, NewcastleIndustry partners
Santosh Holdings (Smartheal), Facere Technologies, Directed Electronics OE Pty Ltd (Directed Technologies)