Australian Aged Care Needs Radical Overhaul
By Jeff Smoot, Health Industry Director, Fujitsu Consulting
The Australian aged care industry must undergo a major transformation and become more innovative to meet the growing demands of retiring Baby Boomers.
That’s the key message from a Fujitsu survey of 1,291 Australians aged between 55 and 65, which portrays a generation who intend to work longer and live independently, yet who believe their available accommodation choices are either limited (30 per cent) or that they have no choice at all (11 per cent).
According to the report, A Generational Shift: The Next Wave of Aged Care, the Government must also be more in tune with consumer expectations and the implications for aged care to provide appropriate funding.
The survey, conducted for Fujitsu by specialist healthcare research company UltraFeedback, reveals that 47 per cent of respondents would like to continue living independently after reaching a point where they need help with daily activities. Just eight per cent who would prefer to live in a nursing home or communal village.
Indeed, many Baby Boomers (27 per cent) expect to continue working, at least part-time, well into their 70s, while 12 per cent expect to work “until they drop”.
Their greatest fears include not being able to care for themselves (79 per cent), having to live in an aged care home against their choice (57 per cent) and a lack of money (45 per cent).
The ageing population and rising care costs due to chronic disease management make aged care an increasingly important and challenging component of an integrated health-delivery system. The manner in which Baby Boomers approach retirement will dramatically change aged care service delivery. Baby Boomers are better educated, healthier, more active and have higher expectations than previous generations. Aged care providers need to take immediate action to develop an innovative business strategy to prepare for this fundamental shift.”
Baby Boomers said the most important factors impacting their future living arrangements were privacy (92 per cent), followed by proximity to family and friends, and feeling part of a community (both 84 per cent). Public transport and pets also rated highly.
The importance of technology
The report found that Baby Boomers are enthusiastic users of technology, despite many aged care providers still assuming they are technology averse.
Baby Boomers experience technology innovation every day in their cars, computers and home appliances. They will expect care providers to fully exploit mainstream consumer technology to address their changing lifestyle preferences and needs.
This expectation means that technologies like home monitoring devices and health sensors can be effectively used for health monitoring and communication with remote support service providers.
Baby Boomers want greater innovation and choice from aged care providers. Providers will need to ‘think outside the box’ to accommodate funding and regulatory constraints while developing relevant home care services for this market.
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Australian Aged Care Needs Radical Overhaul – The Australian aged care industry must undergo a major transformation and become more innovative to meet the growing demands of retiring Baby Boomers.