Company

Bolton Clarke is Australia's largest non-profit aged care provider. Bolton Clarke has been serving Australians since 1885 and currently supports more than 130,000 people in the community operates 88 residential aged care communities and 37 retirement villages nationally. Bolton Clarke is driven by the purpose to help people live a life of fulfilment.

Amanda Harris, Bolton Clarke’s Digital Product Specialist and Moreton Shores Village Manager Leigha Watt.

Challenge

The main challenge was to enhance the lives of older Australians through a greater connection. Older Australians, particularly those living in aged care communities, often suffer from social isolation. With the increasing digitisation of society, the challenge was to create a digital product tailored to the needs of these residents that could integrate seamlessly with Bolton Clarke's services. The product needed to be user-friendly for older adults and offer a variety of features that could help foster a sense of community and keep residents connected to each other and to the overall happenings of their retirement living communities.

Solution

In response to this challenge, Pluss Communities developed a fully branded smartphone app named 'Buddy'. The app was designed with simplicity and user-friendliness in mind, making it accessible even to residents who may not be technologically savvy. The Buddy app enables staff and residents to access a one-touch calendar of events, receive instant community update notifications, organize social gatherings, and log maintenance requests at the touch of a button.

“We noticed that residents were really happy to be able to get all of their news and events in one spot. Being able to be kept up to date with what’s going on in the village was really important to them. They liked getting on it and teaching each other how to use it as well, (which) was really cool.” Ms Harris said the app had also proven helpful for onsite management, making the distribution of information much easier. “At Bolton Clarke we are always looking for ways to make it easier for our customers to connect with us and all of our different services,” she said.

Impact

The impact of the Buddy app has been significant and overwhelmingly positive. The trial at Moreton Shores Retirement Village was incredibly successful, with residents actively engaging with the app and finding immense value in it. It gave residents an avenue to connect with each other, share stories and pictures, and continue to be involved in community activities even if they couldn't get out as much as they'd like. The app also helped residents stay updated on all the news and events happening in their community, a feature that they greatly appreciated.

“Some of the residents who thought they were technically challenged have actually been doing really well with the app. They’re uploading photos, they are seeing events and attending, whereas before they would be scared to use their email or computer,” Ms Watt said. “I think it’s great as a constant reminder of what’s going on in the village. It’s getting the message out a lot quicker than our old school pen and paper notice to the mailboxes.”

In addition to benefiting the residents, the app also proved to be extremely helpful for onsite management. It made the distribution of information much easier and more efficient, a key advantage in communities where there could be between 100 and 200 people.

The success of the Buddy app has led to Bolton Clarke deciding to roll out the app across more communities in 2024. This decision signifies the reliability and readiness of the product to deliver a great resident experience for large enterprise customers throughout the seniors living sector.