The decision that changed village operator Yukana’s care model

Yukana Retirement Villages made a strategic decision that changed the way it delivers care: residents shouldn’t have to leave the village simply because their care needs increase.

To make that possible, the village operator has built its own private aged care model, supported by connected care technology designed to help residents remain in the communities they have chosen to call home.

Strategy first, technology second

Delivering that vision meant expanding Yukana’s clinical workforce to 15 Registered Nurses and around 50 care staff, while investing in technology capable of supporting residents with higher care needs.

But the new model also exposed a problem. Yukana’s existing distress call system had been designed for residents with relatively low care needs. As care needs increased, the ageing system struggled to keep pace.

The legacy technology could delay alerts reaching carers and, in rare cases, congestion meant calls were held up.

“There’s one thing that you never want to hear as a CEO,” Chief Executive Officer Chris Kelly said. “‘We found somebody on the floor the following morning.’”

Replacing the technology became about more than upgrading equipment. It was about ensuring Yukana’s systems could support its new model of care.

Choosing the right partner

When Yukana went to market, Chris said many suppliers were offering little more than a modern version of the system the organisation already had.

“As a smaller Not For Profit, this was a one-time investment that we were really wanting to see through for 10 or 15 years,” he said.

“To make that investment and only get a one-to-one replacement wasn’t sufficient.”

Instead, Yukana chose Talius because its platform offered capabilities beyond a traditional distress call system, including real-time location services that provide greater visibility of residents and staff.

For Chris, the decision ultimately came down to shared values.

“I wanted to make sure we were partnering with somebody that also wanted to see residents age with dignity,” he said.

The technology may have been new, but the bigger challenge was helping an organisation embrace a different way of delivering care.

Next week, Chris Kelly explains how Yukana managed that change and why leadership was the key to making it work.

This is the first article in a four-part editorial series produced in partnership with Talius exploring how retirement village operators are responding to changing resident expectations through leadership, care innovation and connected technology.