The a la carte approach to ageing

Telehealth, virtual care and green care farms are just some of the disruptive models shaking up the retirement living space internationally, says healthcare pioneer and futurist, Shirlee Sharkey.

The president and chief executive officer of Saint Elizabeth, Sharkey leads a Canadian national health care and seniors living organisation known for its social innovation and pioneering practices.

Sharkey, who will be headlining the National Retirement Living Summit in November, joined Saint Elizabeth as president and CEO in 1992, and has built what is now Canada’s largest social enterprise. The not-for-profit delivers more than seven million health care visits each year and employs 9,000 people to provide nursing, rehabilitation, personal support, research and consulting services.

Sharkey says the digital age has hit the healthcare and home care sectors “like a tidal wave” as countless new technologies appear on the market daily.

Insightful design and digitisation are pushing the envelope, she says, but so too is society’s attitude to ageing.

“Increased reliance on technology and how it is integrated with every facet of our lives, a desire to have things customised and an understanding that we each have a unique voice” is reshaping people’s expectations as they age.

“A term I like to use is not the ‘grey tsunami’ but the ‘superhero tsunami’. Today’s seniors are making incredible contributions. They are ready for round two – excited to take on the world, opening businesses, inventing technology, mentoring and sharing knowledge.”

In her international consulting work, Sharkey says she sees a wide variance in how different cultures approach their ageing populations, and their attitudes to ageing.

This has implications for our retirement living industry, as changing migration patterns mean more Asian-born residents now call Australia home than those hailing from England, New Zealand and mainland Europe.

In general, these changing attitudes to ageing will “spell big changes in the design and build worlds,” Sharkey says.

“Residents will demand connectivity and integrated technologies similar to those in their own homes today.”

Sharkey is a former president of the Canadian Home Care Association, and has advised governments on staffing and care standards for long-term care homes in the province.

She says we can learn from disruptive models like telehealth and virtual care, which are “beginning to take hold and will change the way we care for people in their homes, and can be leveraged in other locations”.

“It’s amazing to see new start-ups partnering with more established health and technology organisations to advance the quality of care.”

Sharkey points to the ‘green care farm’ model as an example, and says a recent visit to one farm in the Netherlands gave her new insights into “really interesting and innovative approach to community building”.

Green care farms are a new type of small-scale living facility that use a combination of agricultural and care activities. Norway, France and the Netherlands have adopted the model, with each having roughly 1,000 green care farms in operation.

A recent study, published in the Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, found green care farms enhance the overall wellbeing of dementia patients. This model reflects a global push towards small-scale, homelike care settings offering patient-centred care that solve the problem of boredom, isolation and exclusion.

“I think we’ll also see more social innovation targeted towards solving tough challenges, like social isolation and loneliness.”

Sharkey says the biggest issue for the industry in the years ahead is what she calls the “a la carte approach”.

“Providing services ‘on demand’ to people as they age or their health needs change instead of moving them to higher levels of care is one example how developers can be more responsive.

“Developers who can successfully balance the costs and benefits, and those who are willing to test innovative solutions, will be the ones who stand out in a competitive field.”

Sharkey says she draws great inspiration from the simple notion of ‘the power of people’.

“I am amazed daily with what I see on social media about the impact that individuals are having on the world – from eco-friendly solutions, to social justice, to incredible inventions entering the market because of a groundswell of support from crowdfunding. I think ageing seniors will find synergy with young people and together they will be a vital force.”

Shirlee Sharkey will be joining the industry on the Gold Coast for the National Retirement Living Summit from 27-28 November. Don’t miss your Early Bird ticket.