InnovAGE winners present solutions to real-life aged care issues
A computer application combining exercises with games for occupational therapy rehabilitation to increase compliance by making them fun has been chosen as the overall winning project at aged care innovation event InnovAGE.
The creators of the winning project S.T.R.O.K.E.
The winners of the inaugural event were announced on the weekend. The aim of InnovAGE was to encourage entrepreneurial thinking to develop, build or launch age related solutions to improve the lives of older Australians and their families.
The event brought together innovators in aged care, technology, data and design.
The winning project named S.T.R.O.K.E. – Stroke Therapeutic Rehabilitation Occupational Kinect Experiment was developed by 10 year old Kaiden, 13 year old Joshua and their father Donovad Edye and was inspired by the rehabilitation of the boys grandfather who had a stroke.
The wide range of ideas was a reflection of the diversity of participants, which ranged from students to developers, designers, engineers and entrepreneurs.
“As a mentor I found the diversity of ideas was impressive as was the commitment to help older Australian's live well,” says Kay Richards from Leading Age Services Australia (LASA).
Jim Quick, an older Australian and carer, participated as one of the judges adds, “I was impressed with the young people's initiatives and their passion to find solutions for so many varied problems older people in general face.”
Participants were given access to untapped data relating to the sector, products and API’s to play with as well as interaction with real customers, service providers and industry based mentors to inform their ideas.
“A real strength of innovAGE has been the quality of the ideas provided from those inside the industry along with insights and application of concepts unknown to aged care before this event,” says National CEO of LASA Patrick Reid.
Other top projects included:
Wearable Memory; jewellery with a blue tooth connection that will show personalised photo albums on a digital display
Bug; a client support platform providing practical and relevant nutrition advice
RESid; an app which combines a database of resident information with the Estimote Beacon Stickers
StoryTelling TimeMachine; a movable‘playspace’ for for the elderly in the community
Dale Pattison, Senior Associate NAB Health one of the Corporate Sponsors adds, “It was great to see so many different ideas and actually seeing people doing something tangible with the idea.”
Judging criteria looked at the quality and impressiveness of the idea; its usefulness and practicality; the creative use of technology; potential for further development and it had to be in the spirit of helping older Australians live well.
Anna Pino from Lighthouse Business Innovation Centre, one of the mentors at the event, stresses the importance of collaboration, “The quality and innovative nature of ideas we see emerge from these events is always astounding. But we know that you can't achieve innovation and change in a sector as diverse as Aged Care without strong collaboration and partnerships. We look forward to continuing our work with LASA and helping some of the winning teams go on to commercialise their ideas”.
