BCS led the way with the world’s first electronic underpants being rolled out across NSW aged care facilities in late March.
The SIMsystem™, an Australian innovation, is the world’s first electronic, remote monitoring incontinence assessment device. Its use dramatically improves the quality of life for Australians living in residential aged care.
The world’s first electronic underpants, an idea that gained attention and popularity on the ABC’s New Inventors programme in 2008, was made available in NSW after successful trials in Victoria. The introduction of the SIMsystem™ into NSW aged care facilities was launched at the BCS Shalom Centre in Marsfield.
Despite often being viewed as a taboo topic, incontinence represents a considerable health concern, with over 90% of the 180,000 Australians living in aged care facilities suffering from severe incontinence.
“Being treated for incontinence can be very distressing for elderly people. Without the SIMsystem™ our staff need to manually assess residents, often requiring them to check residents’ pads up to ten times a day. Simavita’s new development allows residents greater dignity and leaves more time for our staff to focus on other resident needs,” said June Heinrich, CEO of BCS.
“Incontinence management is a key area in which innovative technologies can benefit aged care. We developed SIMsystem™ to provide greater comfort and dignity to the elderly while aiming to significantly lower costs for aged care facilities,” said Philippa Lewis, CEO of Simavita
It is estimated that continence management utilises 25% of staff time, making it the most expensive component of care at an aged care facility.
Trials indicate the SIMsystem™ can save up to 50% of the cost of labour associated with manual continence assessment, making it easier to provide the right pad to the right person at the right time, as well as providing savings of up to 30% in the cost of continence aids and reducing the spend on continence products.
How the SIMsystem™ works
The disposable SIMPad®, which looks and feels like a regular incontinence pad, is worn by residents for a three day continence assessment. The detachable SIM™ Box transmitter relays readings from the SIMPad®’s sensor strip over a wireless network to a central computer.