McLean Care wins prestigious Australian innovative technology in aged care award

The ITAC (Information Technology in Aged Care) conference awards 2020 were held in Brisbane on the 3rd and 4th of March. The theme of the evening was, ‘Transforming Independence through Innovative Technology’, supporting service quality and independence through digital programs. The awards highlighted the importance of assistive technologies and the contribution they can make to achieving quality care outcomes for older people.

Mclean Care won both ‘best solution for sustainable consumer independence and living’ and overall winner on the night in recognition of their work in developing the Hector VR driving simulator for odler drivers. Recognising the loss of independence older drivers typically experience when they stop driving, the Hector VR simulator was designed to offer greater empowerment and dignity in decision making about ongoing driver competence.

Hector VR allows older people the ability to drive a virtual vehicle through a range of realistic driving scenarios such as parking, pedestrian crossings, roundabouts and country driving experiences. The simulator not only measures adherence to road rules,but also monitors experiential markers such as reaction time and heart rate, providing real-time feedback in a safe, supportive, and non-confrontational environment. McLean Care’s Project manager Alicia Eugiene accepted the award on behalf of the project team and said “We’re completely honoured and privileged amongst an accomplished field of finalists. She went on to dedicate the Award to the group of more than 50 older people from regional NSW who helped to test and refine the Hector VR driving simulator, noting “we couldn’t have done it without you.”

Innovation and independence were key themes among all finalists including Baptist Care, Procura and the Endeavour Foundation. Other finalists like the Registry of Senior Australians (ROSA) looked at business intelligence solutions that can collate large data sets to examine community trends, patterns and associations to target quality care outcomes.

Sue Thomson, CEO McLean Care said “we were thrilled to be a finalist among such an array of professionals, but to win our category as well as being the overall winner is very humbling and a tribute to the partneships we have developed with Deakin University and our continued commitment to developing innovative rural and regional aged care services every day”. For interviews or more details please contact: Sue ThomsonCEO | McLean Care® Ltd P: 02 6721 7300 F: 02 6722 2025 67 Killean Street, Inverell, NSW, 2360