The Fleurieu has one of the oldest populations in Australia and they are being asked to say how they feel about CCTV and other surveillance and monitoring technology in aged care.

The Office for Ageing Well wants to understand the community’s views and attitudes towards the use of various surveillance and monitoring technologies in residential aged care facilities. 

It also wants to engage in a conversation around the effective and ethical use of these technologies, including informed choice and consent, and the balance between supporting safety while maintaining privacy and dignity of residents in their homes.

The outcome of the community conversation will be discussed with other government departments and non-government organisations, to support working together for the benefit of South Australians living in aged care. 

Considerations include the role of surveillance and monitoring in aged care; the pros and cons; different types of technology; rights and responsibilities; balancing privacy and safety; and technology costs.

The use of surveillance and monitoring technology is increasingly part of ‘normal’ daily living for many older South Australians, with over 305,000 people aged over 65 years of age. 

Technology has the potential to make the experience of ageing more positive by increasing independence, providing comfort to family members that their loved one is safe, and adding additional “eyes and ears” to assist care providers provide high quality and responsive care.

The Office for Ageing Well undertook a 12-month Australian-first CCTV pilot at two government-run facilities to explore the acceptability, feasibility, and viability of using audio-visual surveillance and monitoring technology to support care in residential aged care.

A wide range of technology such as wearable devices, health trackers and movement and pressure sensors, is becoming available, and Office for Ageing

Well wants to gauge public attitudes on its acceptability for use within aged care facilities.

Consultation closes 16 October, for full details and to complete the survey go to the yourSAy website.