Christopher Dawson was inspired to develop Spritely by his parents, especially his dad after he suffered a medical event. Photo / Supplied
Christopher Dawson was inspired to develop Spritely by his parents, especially his dad after he suffered a medical event. Photo / Supplied
A Hawke's Bay entrepreneur has taken the healthcare sector by storm with his new innovation called Spritely.
The new tablet-based health, safety and connection system, designed in collaboration with Christchurch-based retirement village developer Qestral Corporation, has been launched on the New Zealand market.
Christopher Dawson was inspired to develop Spritelyby his parents, especially his dad, after he suffered a medical event.
"I thought there had to be a way technology can help Kiwi seniors like mum and dad, not just to be safer, but also to be healthier and more connected."
Spritely was developed after three years of research, consultation and testing with Qestral Corporation, which is led by Ryman Healthcare co-founder John Ryder and New Zealand Aged Care National chairman Simon O'Dowd.
Ryder said Spritely is an important innovation in the New Zealand aged care sector, focusing on care and communication in villages, not just rest homes.
"We've invested in Spritely because we believe in its potential as a sector-wide solution to a number of big issues, particularly keeping seniors out of institutional care for longer."
O'Dowd said Spritely can play a key role in tackling problems like isolation and taking medication as prescribed, which should significantly reduce the number of hospital admissions.
"For Kiwi seniors the gap between living at home and living in a care home is ever widening with entry criteria for entering a care facility being lifted all the time," he said.
"People want control of their health and to be independent for as long as they can. As a country, we need innovative technology solutions to support people to live the way they want to, for much longer."
Spritely is a health and safety assist system to support elderly people in the case of a medical event or if they are in need of immediate assistance. Photo / Supplied
The system looks at safety – using sensors to detect non-movement, measuring and tracking health vitals, with a Bluetooth-paired blood pressure/pulse machine and scales, medication dispensary and reminders and communication with management and other residents using one-touch videoing.
The system will soon be available in a community-oriented form.
Each feature was developed based on focus group research, and designed according to how seniors interact with technology.
Alpine View Retirement Village resident Marie Brown was among the first to use the new technology and praised Spritely for its design.
"It's a system that is simple and easy to utilise," she said.
Qestral Corporation is the first New Zealand retirement village company to use Spritely, by offering it to its 230 independent Alpine View residents, in Christchurch.
A further 800-plus home fit-outs are in the pipeline, with new build developments across Christchurch, Nelson, Whangarei and Hamilton.
Ryder said the next revolution in aged care will be by fully utilising technology.
"It is a fast-moving, but important, opportunity and as an innovative group, we are positioning ourselves to be at the forefront of new developments".
