Technology in Aged Care

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.