Feros Care Partners with Go Share to Improve Health Outcomes for Older Australians

Case Study

We all know that the cost of chronic conditions is increasing. Add to that doctor and nurse shortages and it’s clear that a transformation in the structure of healthcare is needed. This transition is being slowed, however, by strict regulations; the reluctance of stakeholders in healthcare to change; and ignoring the importance of cultural changes and the human factor in an increasingly technological world.

One healthcare provider not reluctant to change is Feros Care, a national non-for-profit organisation established in Byron Bay in 1991. Grown from a single residential village it today has helped nearly 17,000 older Australians live bolder lives. Services include:

• Residential aged care
• Home care
• Home maintenance
• Veteran’s services
• Community care
• Assessment, planning and co-ordination
• Social experiences
• Virtual health care

Recently Feros Care has partnered with GoShare as part of its Staying Healthy Living Well program to build the health literacy of its clients.

“Digital health education is central to the Staying Healthy Living Well program and the sharing of evidence based, reputable and current information on chronic aged care conditions with our clients is essential in improving health literacy,” said Anthony Bacon, Lifelink Operations Manager at Feros Care.

“GoShare videos and animations keep our clients engaged during the 1:1 hour-long sessions with their Telehealth Nurse which makes the platform an important part of our suite of tools.”

The approach

Staying Healthy Living Well clients have access to GoShare health information as part of four 1:1 coaching sessions with a Feros Care Telehealth Nurse. The nurse uploads a bundle of content relevant to their immediate health needs prior to each coaching session and if a client has multiple chronic conditions, health education content relating to their most vulnerable condition becomes the priority.

While some clients choose to review the health education resources received prior to the 1:1 session, others may not have had the opportunity or simply forget. If this is the case, the Telehealth Nurse will review the information with the client as part of the session. This means that each client reviews the health information relevant to their condition at least once.

The GoShare sessions are designed to help improve the client’s confidence, knowledge and engagement so that they may better manage their own chronic conditions and general wellbeing. Other components of the Staying Healthy Living Well program involve telehealth and remote monitoring of vital signs, as well as group education.

Outcome

The provision of digital health information in the form of videos, animations and resources from peak industry bodies helps clients to build confidence, knowledge and engagement in self-managing chronic conditions and general wellbeing.

Clients participating in the Staying Healthy Living Well program have identified technology as being useful in supporting their health care while at home and feel better able to self-manage and monitor their health. After taking part in the program, patients felt that their quality of life had improved while Feros Care Telehealth Nurses have reported the quality of engagement by clients in their one hour telehealth session has definitely improved since the introduction of the GoShare digital health content, with clients reporting they particularly value the video content.

About GoShare

GoShare is a customisable content distribution platform, which enables the efficient and measurable sharing of health resources, tailored to patients’ information needs.

Based on current evidence, GoShare’s digital content bundles aim to improve patient self-efficacy and self-management behaviours, and empower people to play a more active role in their healthcare. GoShare is used to complement telephone and face-to-face interactions. Scheduling functionality enables tailored content to be sent automatically over a defined period of time, providing a highly scalable approach to patient education.