Enhancing resident welfare at Flora McDonald – Secure Technologies 

Responding to sweeping, industry-wide recommendations from Australia’s Aged Care Royal Commission, the highly respected Calvary healthcare group looked to its long association with Sturdie (the South Australian Government’s chosen technology partner in the SA Health CCTV Pilot Project) to plan, design and install a smart-camera network that could deliver immediately, but also be expanded to accommodate new technologies.

The project

The Calvary Flora McDonald Retirement Community is a leading South Australian residential aged care facility, catering to a diverse range of resident needs and backgrounds. While the facility maintains one of the finest reputations in the country, it pro-actively sought to improve resident and staff welfare in its medical support unit, through the installation of smart technology – including new internet protocol (IP) cameras and the upgrading of existing cameras.

The challenges

• Existing infrastructure. This included 16 existing cameras to be integrated into the new system
• Simplicity. The monitoring platform needed to be easy to use and require minimal training.
• Client requirements. The system had to be cost-effective, and able to be installed in a set timeframe with minimal impact on site or residents and staff.
• Future-proofing. The system needed to be capable of immediate use but also adaptable to new technology in the future.   

The approach

Sturdie’s Secure Technologies team were able to take current in-house knowledge in technology, product, security and costing, and efficiently apply it to the needs of the project. Our tech specialists designed the system to accommodate future innovations, which, although not suitable in their current form, could be integrated once their reliability and functionality had been tested and proven. 

The solution

• Cost-effective design. The system components were supplied and installed to the client’s satisfaction, including the re-use of existing infrastructure
• User friendly system. An easy-to-use network interface, the installation 48 new high-resolution network cameras, and the integration of 16 existing cameras into the new video management platform.
• Future-proof system. The technology and hardware used are designed for expansion as product and system enhancements, and improvements in technology become available.

The outcome

The medical support unit at Flora McDonald Aged Care Community now has one of the most advanced, user-friendly remote monitoring systems in Australia – finding that careful balance between privacy, security and wellbeing for all.