Dehydration is a critical issue for people, especially those living in aged care homes, and can lead to various problems, including delirium, falls, hospitalisations, and even an increased risk of death.

Although serum osmolarity is the gold standard for assessing hydration status, it is not routinely conducted. Finding a way to easily detect dehydration at the point of care could significantly improve the lives of older Australians.

For some time the aged care sector has grappled with workforce recruitment and retention issues, especially for providers in rural and remote regions.

Retaining staff is of utmost importance, with average turnover rates reported at 29% by the last Aged Care Workforce Census, with increased workforce shortages predicted in the future.

Through ARIIA’s Aged Care Partnering Program, service provider Tanunda Lutheran Homes was introduced to RV Automation Technology, an international robotics developer and manufacturer, to provide support to workers.

Ongoing reform and increasing operational needs are creating huge workforce pressures in aged care, yet finding time and resourcing for research and innovation that could produce solutions is a challenge itself for busy organisations.

With ARIIA’s support, St Basil’s Homes in South Australia was able to partner with two researchers to access funding and expertise to boost their innovation capacity and build internal expertise for their future model of care project.