Grand Opening of the Community Gateway, Coolangatta
New technology, which will revolutionise the delivery of aged care services in Australia, was launched today by local, non-profit aged care provider Feros Care. The launch was attended by Federal Minister for Ageing, the Hon. Justine Elliot, MP and Federal Shadow Minister for Ageing Margaret May, MP.
Feros Care unveiled a hi-tech, central communication centre called the “Community Gateway”, which enables more efficient delivery of aged care services, along with a range of assisted living technologies that allow people to remain living in their own home longer and retain their independence.
The assisted living technologies, which are already widely used throughout the UK, are new to Australia and include falls detection, emergency response, exit monitoring (for people with dementia), environmental safety (including bathroom and kitchen), night time safety, continence management, and daily scheduled phone calls.
The technologies are a cost effective solution to allow people to remain living in their own homes safely and securely. They also provide peace of mind and relief for families and carers, who often can’t be present 24 hours a day.
While Australia’s aged care worries are regularly headlined, the NSW and South East Queensland are facing an acute aged care challenge. There are currently 1 in 5 people aged over 65 living in the region, compared to the national figure of 1 in 7. This ratio is expected to reach 1 in 3 by 2050. North Coast
Feros Care CEO, Jennene Buckley said: “With our region’s rapidly growing ageing population, it is essential we continue to find more advanced ways of allowing people to remain living in their own home longer.”
“We are on the cusp of a massive national increase in demand for aged care services, and I fear that unless we find creative solutions to meet this demand – such as we have announced today – we will be unable to manage.”
Feros Care’s new “Gateway” utilises advances in communication technology to create a central management and administration centre, providing a single point of call for the delivery of their 17 types of aged care services across Northern New South Wales and South East Queensland.
This central communication hub allows for the delivery of high quality aged care across a wider geographical area, eliminating excessive infrastructure costs which have traditionally been an obstacle in the establishment of aged care services.
PHOTO: Federal Minister for Ageing, The Hon. Justine Elliot, MP & Federal Shadow Minister for Ageing, Margaret May, MP with Feros Care CEO Jennene Buckley at Feros Care
