Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology

Innovation strategies, frameworks and implementation plans for effective cutting-edge solutions in health, industry 4.0, education, organisational psychology, human capital and workplace productivity.

The group supports the emergence of ‘Consumer Directed Care’, a personalised ‘continuum of care’ model, that is now legislated (in Australia) for both disability services (NDIS) and in-home aged care.

‘Consumer Directed Care’ is our entree into ‘Value Based Care’ and Australia’s global healthcare differentiator. Getting it right, means systemic entrenched leadership across Asia-Pacific for at least the next 2-3 generations.

This new model of healthcare, whist initially disruptive, will help drive new 21st century population health practices and the underpinning next generation of assistive technology. ‘Industry 4.0’ business models and technologies will be at its core.

New systems will emerge that have our citizens with comorbidity and chronic health conditions at the centre. Rapidly converging demands will align our population health, aged care, disability services, technology and education providers into a new alliance focused on co-designing highly personalised and practical solutions from the outset.

Capacity building will be a key principle progressing along the illness, wellness and fitness spectrum.

"Maximising opportunities from new, growing and strategically important industries including renewable energy and the digital and care economies will be critical to boosting productivity, sustaining full employment and ensuring our cities and regions thrive."

The most significant structural shift of the past 20 years has been the rise of the services sector. The growth in the health and care economy has been an important part of this trend."

• The health care and social assistance sector has more than doubled in size over the past 20 years, rising from 10 to 15 per cent of the workforce and now employs more than 2 million people. Employment in the sector is projected to grow by 15.8 per cent over the next five years.

• Labour shortages in the care workforce are already acute and expected to worsen with a projected shortfall of 286,000 care workers by 2050. Low pay and challenging conditions, partly as a result of high workloads and staff absences related to COVID-19 and influenza, have led to higher staff turnover.

• The care workforce is also highly feminised. Around 9 in 10 aged care workers are women and a high number of workers come from migrant backgrounds.