Aged Care Insite Issue 92 | December 2015 - January 2016 | Page 11

news ICT bright lights honoured ITAC Awards reflect growing importance of technology in aged care. T wo prominent names in ICT in the aged-care sector were honoured at a recent gala dinner. Rod Young, a member of the NSW Ministerial Advisory Committee on Ageing, and Suri Ramanathan, a member and former chairman of the Aged Care Industry Information Technology Council, were inducted into the IT Hall of Fame for their contributions to ICT in aged care at the Information Technology in Aged Care (ITAC) Awards. Leading Age Services Australia chief executive Patrick Reid said both Young and Ramanathan had worked hard over many years to ensure ICT and aged care were considered by all industry stakeholders, particularly government. “Their efforts in bringing together vendors, providers and government are helping to ensure aged care has the ability to build capacity and capability to meet the increasing demand from our ageing population,” Reid explained. Young said: “Providing greater connectivity for older Australians through clever ICT solutions is something that really drives and inspires me.” Young is a judge and chairman of the ITAC organising committee. He said the calibre of entries in the awards reflected the increasing role and influence of IT in aged care, from clinical practice through to human resources and business management. He explained that due to changes in policy that have put more control in the hands of consumers, aged-care service providers are using technology to maintain the strongest possible communication links with clients and to engage with them in a way that drives how the service operates and the service delivery is planned. “Those things are where the system is driving and where we will need to see the industry migrate even further in the future, but the awards I think clearly demonstrated that IT is now mainstream and people are preparing for the consumer revolution,” Young said. ■ ® Subscribe for less than $1 a week Our HomeCare™ range of beds are designed to fit comfortably in your home environment or aged care facility. The HomeCare™ bed is packed with state-of-the-art technology for safety and comfort and comes in a range of sizes, from single to king. BELMONT DRYSDALE The latest news and resources for health care professionals • Latest news and resources for all healthcare professionals • Comprehensive coverage of a diversity of topics LARA • Analysis of the major issues facing the health sector • Delivered free of charge Nursing Review is essential reading for anyone involved in the healthcare sector in Australia. It provides unrivalled coverage of specialist topics from features and opinion pieces, to international news and profiles. [email protected] | www.nursingreview.com.au agedcareinsite.com.au 11