Video chat made easy
Touch-free device allows the aged to keep in contact
Motivated by the challenges they faced when caring for their late father during the depths of Covid-19, Zachary Bailey and sister Fiona Symons emerged from the pandemic with a mission to transform the way aged-care residents communicate with their loved ones.
The result is CareWindow – an iPad-sized video calling device they’ve developed specifically for aged-care residents suffering with cognitive or mobility issues.
When their father Martin transitioned to aged care during the early stages of the pandemic the duo experienced first-hand the limitations of traditional communication technologies in aged-care facilities.
Sensory, cognitive and mobility challenges faced by Martin following a battle with cancer meant devices such as phones and tablets weren’t suitable for him to remain connected with family and friends during lockdowns and aged-care closures.
And so Mr Bailey, a software engineer who runs technology consulting firm James Anthony Consulting, and Ms Symons, a nurse who spent more than four years working in aged care, set about creating a new device to solve the problem.
Mr Bailey said all the bells and whistles of mobile phones, tablets and laptops were stripped back to make the device as simple as possible to use for those suffering with cognitive or mobility issues.
There are zero touch requirements for the user in aged care, with the device instead being remotely operated by the family. There are no apps, menus or other complicating features – just a simple time and day display in large lettering like a dementia clock, and weather information.
“Dad was a smart guy, he was an IT guy by trade – he was the guy who taught me programming, but it got to a stage when he couldn’t work his mobile phone anymore, couldn’t work his TV remote,” Mr Bailey said.
“When Covid lockdowns hit aged care wasn’t equipped for it – even at a good facility there wasn’t much in the way of videoconferencing, not much in the way of being able to chat to the person in the room.
“Other products that had been out in the market – what they’d essentially done was taken an iPad, taken a Samsung tablet and just made it bigger. But what if they can’t press the buttons in the right order? What if their hands shake? What if remembering to charge is difficult? So we set about building the simplest thing we possibly could.”
Researchers at Flinders University helped validate the design of CareWindow, which is being trialled at Anglicare Trott Park, where Martin resided.
Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia has provided some funding for the trial, while 50 units have already been sold to aged-care residents.
Mr Bailey said the company was now looking to raise $235,000 as part of a statewide roll-out before a national expansion and a potential launch into the US market over the next couple of years.
“The market size analysis tells us that there’s more than 200,000 people residing in aged care – more than one in three of them are in a position where they have a dexterity, sensory, cognitive or mobility issue and therefore can make use of a zero-touch videophone,” he said.
“In the US that number scales up to 1.9 million that we’re relevant to.”
The CareWindow devices, which are priced at $650, are currently manufactured in China, but Mr Bailey said the ambition is to bring that work back into South Australia.