Over the last few years we’ve all seen an increase in the personalisation of platforms and services. It’s happening across every sector and the benefits of personalisation go both ways.
When it is done right, the consumer feels seen. It’s as if they know you – as much as is possible via your digital interactions. Through the use of various points of customer data, the product or service provider can better understand preferences, refine service and product offerings, and more accurately plan for the future through higher quality of service.
This is where Salesforce shines as a powerful facility for the secure storage and effective utilisation of vast amounts of data. Consumers have come to expect that the information you collect from them is being put to good use. Relevant data collection can build a comprehensive picture of the who, what, when, where and why of your customer base, helping you to mold systems and offerings around them and providing a base for continual improvement. It only makes sense that personalisation acts as a cornerstone for aged care.
Defining Personalised Care
Let’s look at what personalised care is in an aged care context and what it means for those involved1:
For residents it means:
i) care that is best practice / safe; and
ii) is tailored to their needs; and
iii) optimises their health and well-being.
For providers it means:
The organisation delivers safe and effective personal care, clinical care, or both personal care and clinical care, in accordance with the consumer’s needs, goals and preferences to optimise health and well-being.
In 2020 a report found that of those surveyed, 45 per cent of Australian aged care respondents felt that their aged care provider didn’t deliver customised and personalised care2. In the same report 75 per cent of aged care recipients and 66 per cent of decision makers feel technology is essential to providing high-quality aged care.
We can surmise that proper use of personalisation brings benefits to communities, families and wider health systems through adjacent benefits such as a reduction in avoidable use of health services, reduced health inequalities, and a noticeable improvement in individual resident wellbeing.
Centring People Through Personalised Care
Personalised care recognises that people need agency.
The planning and delivery of personalised services addresses the needs, preferences and circumstances of each individual resident. Quality of life is enhanced, which consequently improves quality of care.
Anecdotal evidence cites improved health outcomes, greater resident satisfaction and reduced staff burnout3. Significant improvements like these cannot be ignored and Salesforce offers an all-in-one platform to manage all aspects of aged care provision.
Integrating Personalised Care With Salesforce
Salesforce can be the powerful, centralised platform for your organisation’s operational needs. Below, we’ve detailed those specific to personalised aged care.
- Centralised Resident Profiles: Salesforce provides a unified platform where aged care providers can consolidate all resident information, including medical history, preferences, and care plans. With this comprehensive view, staff can access and update information in real-time, ensuring care decisions are informed and up-to-date – all from one place.
- Data-Driven Insights: With Salesforce’s advanced analytics tools, providers can dig deep to gain valuable insights into resident behaviours, preferences, and health trends. Taking a wider view, managers can analyse service-wide trends. Care teams now have the insights to proactively address emerging needs and adjust care plans accordingly, ensuring residents receive the most relevant and effective support. This all relies on quality data collection and input as well as accessible analytics.
- Enhanced Communication and Engagement: Salesforce’s communication tools facilitate seamless interaction between residents, families, and care providers. By enabling personalised communication and timely updates, trust and transparency around the care of a resident can be more easily maintained – crucial for enhancing resident satisfaction and engagement.
- Customised Care Plans: The flexibility of Salesforce allows providers to create and manage customised care plans tailored to each resident’s unique needs. By integrating clinical and personal data, Salesforce ensures that care plans are holistic and adaptable, promoting better health outcomes and quality of life.
- Streamlined Care Coordination: Effective coordination among care teams is essential for delivering personalised care. Salesforce’s collaborative tools enable easeful communication and coordination, ensuring that all team members are on the same page, and resident care journeys can be managed more effectively.
Real-World Success with Salesforce
Several aged care providers have successfully implemented Salesforce to enhance resident experience through personalised care.
Barwon Health
Barwon Health is building a connected, patient-first, HL7-ready platform. It gives clinicians the tools they need to enrol patients in programs as needed, connect that data and information accordingly, and give real-time visibility to care providers as needed so that everyone involved in the person’s care (including the patient) can take action as one team.
Read more about Barwon Health’s use of Salesforce here.
The Australian Department of Health and Aged Care
The Government Provider Management System (GPMS) was created as a platform to enable (amongst other things) the provider star rating system that has since come into effect. It supports service providers to share critical compliance and reporting data with government and, in doing so, helps people make more informed decisions.
Read more about The Australian Department of Health and Aged Care’s use of Salesforce here.
Community Vision
Community Vision uses Salesforce to manage staff rostering, has enabled support workers to manage tasks while mobile in the community and empowered customers to manage their appointments and schedule digitally, giving them transparency and control. This means they are able to deliver services in new ways that help customers’ funding better cover their needs, improving lives in the process.
Read more about Community Vision’s use of Salesforce here.
RetireAustralia
RetireAustralia has created an efficient and integrated sales, business development and task management system. By eliminating manual reporting and streamlining processes, staff are able to respond to customer enquiries in a more timely manner and place more customers into their chosen communities. Management has a much greater visibility of activities and trends, offering a view of real-time enquiry load.
Read more about RetireAustralia’s use of Salesforce here.
Make Personalised Care the Default with Salesforce
Personalisation will remain a cornerstone of quality aged care delivery as the digital transformation continues to transform the industry. To be successful, aged care providers will need to focus on providing personalised care that is comprehensive, intensively delivered and robustly integrated into all aspects of routine service.
Salesforce offers a transformative solution that empowers providers to deliver personalised, resident-centred care, ultimately enhancing the resident experience. By embracing Salesforce’s capabilities, aged care providers can ensure that each resident receives the care and attention they deserve, promoting dignity, autonomy, and well-being.
Looking to enhance your aged care operations with Salesforce? Contact Richard at [email protected] to explore tailored solutions.
Richard Fleming
Account Executive & Aged Care Solutions Expert
