Hunter-based Tara O’Connell has teamed up with national organisation, The Ageing Revolution, to create a world first innovative tool to make life easier for carers.
Our Care Journal is the first app to take a person-centred approach and Tara said they’re already fielding interest from international markets.
“After working with carers in the research and creation of this app, we grew to understand just how isolating and overwhelming caring for a family member or loved one can be,” Tara said.
“This is a growing global problem, and with the valuable input of carers, we have created a simple tool that helps carers and also puts the needs of people being cared for first.”
It is estimated that Australia’s 2.7 million carers contribute more than $60 billion to the country’s economy each year, yet many are caring in isolation with limited support and resources.
Our Care Journal provides everyone in the person’s care system with an easy way to coordinate, record and share vital information, such as medications, appointments, contacts, nutritional information, as well as other essential information about the person they are caring for, such as their habits, likes and dislikes.
A unique carer-to-carer portal has also been included.
“During a nation-wide research project by my Co-founder, it became very clear that carers need support, so we created a section of the app with the functionality for carers to connect with other carers who understand their situation and can offer support,” Tara said.
Caring better for people, especially older people in their home for longer, delivers many benefits at the individual and social levels.
“It can increase the well-being of our ageing population, make our communities more age friendly and also potentially provide economic wins for the healthcare system,” said Leonie Sanderson, Co-founder of the app.
“Carers provided the voice of lived experience in our design to make sure it this app supports the real needs of carers. We also had researchers from Queensland University of Technology provide an enormous amount of support in developing the technology.”
Our Care Journal is free to download from both the Apple and Android App stores.
IMAGE | Tara O’Connell, Co-founder of Our Care Journal.