At Kinny Legal, we make sure that companies have the protections they need to reach their full potential. We specialise in helping businesses reduce risk, resolve commercial disputes, negotiate great outcomes, and take advantage of growth opportunities. And we can do all of this while giving you the customer experience you deserve.

We are particularly passionate about working with innovative businesses that are reshaping the health and aged care sectors. These organisations are going beyond trying to replicate what has already been achieved. Rather, they are executing on efficient and intuitive services that are redefining the industry altogether. We thought it was appropriate to highlight some of the businesses and start-ups leading the way.

Here are some of the great companies re-shaping the health and aged care sector and delivering better outcomes for end users – all of which we believe will not only be the driving force for industry reform in the coming years but will also be absolutely essential to ensuring success and longevity in a sector that is increasingly competitive and under increasing public scrutiny, especially following the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety announced on 16 September 2018.

AbiBird 

AbiBird is an intelligent sensor that uses a body heat motion sensor to track activity. First you must pair an AbiBird to the Smartphone App and set a daily routine. You will then be alerted when your loved one may have fallen or is unusually inactive. AbiBird is addressing an issue that most seniors face. Most seniors age in their own homes, rather than actually going to live full time in an aged care facility where they have 24 hour care. This technology is also being used in seniors independent living environments, like retirement villages. AbiBird practically addresses this issue in a way that also preserves the autonomy and privacy rights of individuals.

The Ageing Revolution

The Ageing Revolution has a focus on changing the way we perceive ageing and to improve the quality of services and products that are currently offered to seniors. They work with businesses, researchers and community groups and put in place engagement strategies by using a combination of co-design and storytelling. The company has built partnerships with organisations such as QUT, COTAQ, the Global Resilience Collaborative and Partner2Grow. They are developing several exciting innovations to combat ageism and help businesses realise the remarkable business opportunities that come from treating seniors as the vibrant and diverse consumer market that they are (rather than lumping them in the ‘over 60s’ category).

Enhanced Medical Mixed Reality (EMMR)

Aged care service provider Silver Chain has developed a ground-breaking Enhanced Medical Mixed Reality (EMMR) interface which promises to provide hospital-grade care at home for seniors. EMMR uses ‘mixed reality’ technology to provide ‘virtual hospital services’ which allows clinicians, nurses and clients to better access medical information and seniors to interact with medical professionals in real-time without leaving their homes. This reduces the need for travel to and from appointments, improving quality of life and care for seniors – particularly those with mobility difficulties or recovering from injury or illness.

Glenview Korongee Dementia Village 

Korongee Dementia Village is an aged care facility designed by Glenview for seniors with dementia, modelled off the successful and acclaimed De Hogeweyk village. Residents live in houses within a suburban village, where they can wander freely in a safe and controlled environment and exercise a degree of decision-making and control over their lives that simply would not be possible under other more traditional types of dementia care. Glenview is currently building the Korongee Dementia Village in Tasmania, and it will be the first of its kind in Australia to offer this proven and innovative model of aged care.

Sofihub

Sofihub is a home assistant and carer notification system designed for the elderly and those living with a disability. Sofihub is a digital assisted living solution which uses artificial intelligence and sensor technology to support seniors to live independently in their own homes. It has also been trialled in retirement village premises by Japara. Sofihub is able to observe and learn normal behaviour in a person's home, and is then able to identify abnormal behaviour when it arises. The system is also able to deliver greetings, medication reminders and hydration alerts.

Home Care Heroes 

Home Care Heroes is an online organisation that connect local job-seekers with people in need. Home Care Heroes aim to provide affordable and flexible care. They also provide friendship and companionship to those who need it most. This includes the elderly, those living with a disability and those recovering from illness. Home Care Heroes are combating the isolation and loneliness that seniors can often suffer from by putting care back in the hands of locals, allowing seniors to stay connected with their community in the course of receiving care. 

ShiftCare 

ShiftCare was designed to streamline governance in health and aged care facilities. The software makes it easy to manage rosters, notify staff, run timesheets and produce billing reports. ShiftCare aims to make it easy for service providers to get carers to clients at the right time, the right place and with the right information. They’re making aged care more efficient for everyone.

HireUp

HireUp is looking to shake up the disability care space with another easy to use service/care offering. As an online platform, Hireup is built to revolutionise the way people with disability find, hire and manage support workers by harnessing technology and connecting people with shared interests. Using a high quality and mobile workforce of qualified professionals their platform looks to connect carers with those in need via a flexible and transparent process not to mention flexibility and affordability.

These Businesses Are Revolutionising The Way In Which Retirement And Aged Care Services Are Delivered

We love working with innovators in this dynamic industry because we are innovators ourselves. We believe in a new way of delivering legal services that is commercially focussed, efficient and focussed on outcomes not time units.

These business are not cynically selling 'necessities' to a faceless cohort of buyers, but instead, see every senior as an individual and are using technology and innovative thinking to build products and services for a booming market of buyers that are delighted to buy them because they offer clear improvements to quality of life – often at a much more reasonable cost and without requiring the user to sacrifice privacy and freedom of choice in other areas of life.

Jessica Kinny is Principal at Kinny Legal in Sydney and is a Recommended Lawyer in Doyle's Guide 2018 - Leading Health and Aged Care Lawyers (NSW)

This blog post does not constitute legal advice and should not be relied upon as such. It is a general commentary on matters that may be of interest to you.  Formal legal or other professional advice should be sought before acting or relying on any matter arising from this communication.