New technology to assist with a revolution in home care delivery

The customer-focused digital care management platform, Lookout™, allows a Five Good Friends support workers to leave notes about their client’s behaviour and other observations to help identify if they need more proactive care from other support workers.

Lookout can provide better oversight by detecting changes in a customer’s health and wellbeing, and alert care managers. 

Providers and staff are then able to respond more quickly and effectively by adjusting care plans and notifying care workers, customers and loved ones.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Five Good Friends, Simon Lockyer, says, “Lookout is the only digital care management platform built by care, for care. We believe it will transform the home care sector.

“Lookout is being launched at a time when transformative change is urgently required. Many recommendations contained in the Commission’s Final Report will be only achieved through the adoption of technology and digital care management systems.

“The [Royal Commission] findings highlight a lack of transparency where families and informal carers are often excluded from knowing what is happening. Lookout solves these problems.”

Mr Lockyer says Five Good Friends strongly support the findings by the Royal Commission, which emphasises that the home care sector needs to change radically to improve how aged care is delivered, measured and monitored in the home.

He says Recommendation 68 of the Final Report, ‘The need for improved use and adoption of technology’, backs the purpose of Lookout as the recommendation suggests the need for all approved home care providers to deliver personal care or clinical care by using digital care management systems by July 2022.

The Commission also suggested improving data on interaction between the health and aged care systems, which would better benefit older Australians living at home receiving home care.

“This recommendation is critical to improving the experiences and care outcomes of older people as they move through the different care systems,” explains Mr Lockyer.

“When this recommendation is adopted, updates required to add a unique aged care identifier will be rapid and seamless, because Lookout is an Australian-made product.”

Mr Lockyer adds that Lookout encourages collaboration between organisations and professionals to benefit home care clients.  

Ambassador of Five Good Friends, Ita Buttrose AC OBE, says, “Five Good Friends and the Lookout software will allow older Australians to live better and happier lives in their own homes and in the communities they love, by empowering skilled and caring people with brilliant, easy-to-use technology.

“Mr Lockyer said the Royal Commission has shown a modern approach, that leverages technology and truly focuses on the needs of the customer, is required. 

“We believe that technology can help people perform better in their roles, dramatically improve the experience of the care recipient and ultimately, raise the quality of care.”

Lookout has been developed by Five Good Friends software engineers over four years and has delivered 750,000 hours of care. It currently monitors over 15,000 monthly care visits in Australian homes.

To learn more about the Lookout system, head to their website, or contact Five Good Friends for more information about their services.