Forum aids search for aged care
DIFFICULTY finding the right aged-care home for their elderly relatives sparked the interest of Gold Coast entrepreneurs Ken Ray and Andrew Henderson.
The pair, originally from Melbourne, wondered why there wasn’t a database of customer reviews for retirement villages that people could easily draw on when going through the decision-making process.
That was the motivation behind Aged Care Reviews (Agedcarereviews.com.au), which has grown in four years to acquire 7000 reviews for 2800 facilities across Australia.
Mr Ray and Mr Henderson are now preparing to next month raise $1.2 million, perhaps through high-net individuals or institutions, so they can invest in additional staff, marketing, and maybe developing an app.
Like most of the best ideas, this one came from personal experience.
“I had a close family member diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. All the aged-care facilities we called, we got the same story,” Mr Henderson said. “They answered our ques- tions but that was about it and it all sounded the same. We would hear people had good, bad, or indifferent experiences. So, how do you know what the right decision here is?”
Mr Henderson said he shared his experience with Mr Ray, a close friend, and they both decided there was an opportunity to provide a forum for people seeking information about retirement providers.
“We found there was no website or resource where families were talking about their experiences. We couldn’t believe it,” he said.
“We wanted something that went beyond a sales or marketing pitch that related to real people. We thought, ‘how hard can it be?’ and we’ve since got that answer.”
The website was launched in January, 2014, with every facility in Australia listed.
“We got the first review within the first couple of days,” Mr Ray said.
Reviewers can choose a username which lets them remain anonymous.
“That is important because families fear that, if they leave a negative review, they will face retribution.”
Mr Ray said to prevent people abusing the system the reviews are put through an algorithm, which produces a risk-weighted score.
“What we’re looking for is real experiences, so if it doesn’t meet our content guidelines, such as abusive language or we could be suspicious it is a disgruntled ex-staff member, we then write to the reviewer asking them to validate the review with more information.”
Mr Ray said, if not satisfied by the response, they will pull the review.
He was surprised most reviewers have positive experiences with aged-care homes.
“Prior to doing this we thought most reviews would reflect poorly on providers.
“However, the average review is four out of five stars.”
Last year they launched Care Decisions, a helpline designed to assist families trying to select a provider.
“We help inform families about things like aged-care assessment. Also things such as Centrelink requirements for income and assets,” Mr Ray said.
He said this business relied on a partnership with providers, however they were not beholden to one over the other.
Mr Ray said if a family member is placed in a particular village they take a flat fee from the aged-care home, regardless of the provider.