One Aussie engineer is transforming at-home medical care for older Australians

Disclaimer: This article contains topics of a sensitive nature, including palliative care and dying at home.

Key points:

• Although seven in 10 older Aussies want to die at home, this is only a reality for 14 out of 100 Australians as per recent GEN Aged Care data
• Julius Arnold-Janco, an Australian engineer at Janco Enterprises, has designed a house in Cairns with a hospital-grade room to make medical care at home more accessible
• With medical-grade fittings and artificial intelligence, more older Australians could update their homes to meet Australian hospital standards

Fewer than 14 in every 100 older Australians die in their own homes, with many spending their final moments in a hospital without loved ones, even though an estimated 70 percent of Australians would like to receive palliative care at home.

However, one Australian engineer’s recent development could help ensure that the end of older Australians’ lives are peaceful while they receive essential medical care at home.

Julius Arnold-Janco designed a house in Far North Queensland with a bedroom, fitted with equipment at a hospital-grade level and built-in services such as oxygen, air and Residual Current Device-protected circuits.

Mr Arnold-Janco described the differences in his grandparents’ deaths as his motivation to create hospital-grade bedrooms and to keep older Australians surrounded by family when they die.

“My grandfather passed away in the public health care system with Alzheimer’s [disease]. As he sort of deteriorated, I watched him disconnect with people more and more [in] the unfamiliar environment,” he said.

“[…] He passed away in the evening when there were no visitors and it wasn’t the nicest passing.”

“Whereas with my grandmother, […] we were all able to be there surrounded by loved ones and she genuinely asked to pass. Once she was given permission, she passed within minutes and it was quite a seamless process [at home].”

Older Australians who need medical care may benefit from hospital-grade rooms in their homes for numerous reasons, including:

• reduced risk of additional infections compared to hospitals;
• company of loved ones with increased family involvement; and
• being in familiar surroundings.

If you decide that care at home is the right option for you, you may also be eligible for the Essential Medical Equipment Payment, a government payment to help subsidise energy costs associated with certain medical equipment. 

The home overlooks a lush suburb of Cairns and is a short distance from shops and schools. [Source: Janco Enterprises; supplied]

With the new Support at Home Program expected to begin on July 1, 2025, eligible older Australians with less than three months to live could also receive up to $25,000 dollars to receive end-of-life care at home with palliative care services. 

In addition to hospital-grade equipment, the house utilises Artificial Intelligence to provide voice-activated assistance for lighting as well as security protection. 

While more than six in 10 older Australians believe Artificial Intelligence causes more problems than it solves, Mr Arnold-Janco explained how this Smart House System technology can improve your safety while you remain in control.

“[Say] you’ve gone shopping — [this technology] means that the house will monitor the security cameras and actively play alarms and flashlights [if there are intruders],” he said.

“[The technology is] on its own computer and if you don’t want it operating, it’s one button [to] click. There’s no having to learn how it works or needing an internet requirement or anything like that.”

Although Mr Arnold-Janco’s hospital-grade designs may seem out of reach for some, he emphasised that updating an existing bedroom could improve the quality of life for older Australians without breaking the bank. 

“This system comes in at about $7,000 to $10,000 dollars depending on how much pipe-work and electrical work [is required],” he said.

“It doesn’t have to be a brand new room — that can even be a retro-fit on an existing house.”

To learn more about hospital-grade bedrooms and housing, visit the Janco Enterprises website. 

The spacious rooms are fitted with wardrobes for medical equipment. [Source: Janco Enterprises; supplied]

Researchers found one of the major issues for people to receive home care was ‘infrastructural challenges’ and that ‘employing modern technology’ could reduce this issue. 

Artificial Intelligence can also help building construction companies in many ways, including using generative design to create a model of the anticipated design during the engineering stage to assess structural concerns or possible design flaws. 

However, in an interview with the ABC, University of Technology Sydney Lecturer Mohammed Makki highlighted that Artificial Intelligence is still only a guide for architects and engineers rather than the sole method for building plans.

“The illusion that it works [is] because it looks real, feels real — it’s amazing,” he said.

“Creativity is a skill that needs to be developed over time.

“Artificial Intelligence can’t replace that — it’s really just a tool.”

For now, it seems that humans will still control the building process, with Artificial Intelligence only being used as an aid to improve results and quality of life. 

What are your thoughts on this innovative house design to allow older Australians to receive medical care at home?

Let the team at Talking Aged Care know on social media. 

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