A Wollongong startup is being recognised nationally and globally for creating an advance care planning app to help people communicate their wishes in a way that helps family and friends with decisions if they become unable to speak for themselves.
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The app creates downloadable values based advance care planning documents which have been embraced by care providers, law firms, individuals and their families across Australia.
ExSitu's innovation has been named a finalist in three categories at the Australia's innovAGEING Awards on Thursday and a finalist in the WomenTech Global Awards on December 2.
The University of Wollongong iAccelerate located business was founded by former aged care nurses Rebecca Glover and April Creed who have more than 45 years' experience in the aged care sector.
They know from experience that people often do not plan for ageing until they are in crisis and this leaves families struggling to agree on how best to make decisions for those they care for.
Read more: National win for Wollongong startup ExSitu
ExSitu allows anyone to explore what they really value and complete the documents online.
The initial platform was introduced into aged care facilities across Australia last year while the second version is now available to any individual from the comfort of their lounge room.
That means people can comfortably complete their own document at home, or through a range of legal and financial planning practitioners who now recommend ExSitu.
Ms Creed said the recognition shows what innovative Wollongong can add to the sector nationally and globally.
"We know it has been a really hard year for everybody and to still be able to achieve great things for aged care at such a difficult time reflects the dedication and hard work of the people in the sector," she said.
"Covid has been a time when more people want eHealth. This is the second version of the app. We have improved it and released it to the wider community so anyone now can prepare their own care directive regardless of whether they have a care provider or not."
WomenTech, the world's largest community for women in tech, has named ExSitu a finalist in the generational inclusion category of the 2020 WomenTech awards.
And innovAGEING announced ExSitu and the IRT Group as a finalist in three categories for the national awards showcasing innovations in the aged care sector that make ageing better for Australians.
ExSitu and IRT won the improving consumer choice category in 2019 for the app that enables ageing Australians to put in place supportive decision making documents to sit alongside their will and power of attorney.
This year ExSitu is in the running for the Improving Consumer Choice Award, Improving Access to Care and Services Award and the Aged Care Services Innovator of The Year Award.
The ExSitu team has grown from two people to four during the last 12 months.
innovAGEING head Merlin Kong said ExSitu and IRT Group were helping reshape ageing in Australia.
"This has been an extremely successful nomination round. It is heartening to see this happening because innovation is specific to organisations and their challenges and what they are trying to achieve to be the best.
"Innovation touches on everything that the sector is going through, as we work to spread excellence and transformation, to cement Australia as a world leader in better ageing."
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