Technology in Aged Care
Consultation has concluded. Thanks for your contributions.
Tell us how you feel about CCTV and other surveillance and monitoring technology in aged care.
What is being decided?
The Office for Ageing Well wants to understand the community’s views and attitudes towards the use of various surveillance and monitoring technologies in residential aged care facilities. It also wants to engage in a conversation around the effective and ethical use of these technologies, including informed choice and consent, and the balance between supporting safety while maintaining privacy and dignity of residents in their homes.
The outcome of the community conversation will be discussed with other government departments and non-government organisations, to support working together for the benefit of South Australians living in aged care. Considerations include the role of surveillance and monitoring in aged care; the pros and cons; different types of technology; rights and responsibilities; balancing privacy and safety; and technology costs.
Background
Older people have the right to live with dignity, security, autonomy, self-determination and freedom from exploitation and abuse.
The use of surveillance and monitoring technology is increasingly part of ‘normal’ daily living for many older South Australians, with over 305,000 people aged over 65 years of age. Technology has the potential to make the experience of ageing more positive by increasing independence, providing comfort to family members that their loved one is safe, and adding additional “eyes and ears” to assist care providers provide high quality and responsive care.
Nationally the 2020 Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety has helped raise public consciousness of abuse of vulnerable often older, South Australians, and fed the appetite for greater measures to help safeguard rights and prevent abuse.
In addition, Office for Ageing Well undertook a 12-month Australian-first CCTV pilot at two government-run facilities, Northgate House Older Persons Mental Health Service and Mt Pleasant Aged Care. The pilot explored the acceptability, feasibility, and viability of using audio-visual surveillance and monitoring technology to support care in residential aged care.
A wide range of technology such as wearable devices, health trackers and movement and pressure sensors, is becoming available, and Office for Ageing Well wants to gauge public attitudes on its acceptability for use within aged care facilities.
Get involved
Find out more:
- read the Discussion Paper
- consider and respond to the questions
Have your say by:
- taking our survey
- sharing a comment on our guestbook
- emailing a submission to officeforageingwell@sa.gov.au
- posting your written submission to:
Technology in Aged Care Consultation
Office for Ageing Well
PO Box 196 Rundle Mall
Adelaide SA 5000
Attend a public forum on Friday 23 September 2022, 9.30am – 12.30pm at Adelaide Pavilion, Veale Gardens, South Terrace, Adelaide.
For more information and to register your attendance visit: https://technologyinagedcare22.eventbrite.com.au
What are the next steps?
Office for Ageing Well will consider your feedback and use it to inform a report to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing.
What do you think about the use of CCTV and other monitoring and surveillance technology in residential aged care?
Consultation has concluded. Thanks for your contributions.
CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.
Who's Listening
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Phone 08 8204 2420 Email officeforageingwell@sa.gov.au
Some points to consider:
• Safety – the balance for staff and residents means both the residents and staff need a technology installed that supports both
• Monitoring technology using 4D radar and BLE enabled technologies are more appropriate for aged care as no vision cameras are used. Also full coverage in ensuite and bedroom is possible with these – creating a full view of the residents private space. Cannot ignore the ensuite…
• There are great facilities in Australia that have effective/smart technologies installed already – SA Health needed to spend the time to see what technologies are already in the industry
• There are already 5-10 aged care sites installing/installed advanced technologies that do not use vision/cameras to ensure that the technology works, is not causing excessive false alarms and gives the data needed to improve safety at the same time as save staff time.
• Wantirna in Vic is a great example site with clever monitoring technology¸ new aged care building design and have already great clinical outcomes from the tech that they have installed. Quiet environment, fall detection and staff time spent with residents. Real installations already showing what can be done not just for resident safety but also supporting staff.
• Aged care technology focussed teams such as innovAGEING/ACCPA and ITAC are at the forefront of what technology is available and should be consulted when funding is available like this
• Live lab using real staff should form part of what works now, how alerts are received/responded to and how it all is interlinked with nurse call. Understanding the carers experience prior to installing/going live with a project like this should be done in a real life lab
I work in the not for profit sector of Aged Care . Surveillance cameras are used where I work. As far as I'm aware they are not used to check up on staff. They could be, of course. The term "not for profit" is, in my experience, as a person who reads financial reports, a term only. An "operating surplus" is a profit, isn't it? I could check the Australian Accounting Standards Book for the definition, but, I couldn't be bothered. NFPs have the ability to stash away large sums of money into "other accounts" for future uses. I'll leave it there thanks.
CCTV in aged care should have been introduced on an opt out basis years ago. The abuse and lack of care that we know of (Corey Lyle Lucas is one example) is perfectly avoidable with the right technology. That technology which was presented to the State Government some years ago. There is CCTV in child care, supermarkets and any number of different spheres of our daily lives. The only group (and there is only one group) keen to keep CCTV out of aged care is the for profit aged care operators. They do not want anyone to see what is going on in their facilities. Aged care is the only arena where personal safety of the vulnerable people in our society are at high risk. But ultimately it is a matter of choice for the resident and that choice should be exercised in secret from the nursing home via a third party such that the aged care operator and staff will not know whether it is off or not. This is potentially one of the most important steps in the quest to diminish some of the problems in aged care.