Homage appoints new country head to expand home-based care

Technology-led caregiving and health platform Homage has appointed Ben Johnston as Country Manager for Australia.

Charged with leading the Australian expansion, Johnston will be responsible for driving the Homage mission to provide accessible home-based or in-facility care options for families in Australia, supporting efforts to foster independent living for everyone from the young through to the elderly.

It is estimated that over one million senior Australians are now receiving home care or residential respite services. As life expectancy increases and population growth slows, that number will only grow — Australians aged above 65 are expected to comprise 21–23% of the population by 2066. While Australia has various home care packages and programs to support Australians who want to receive care at home, they often have to wait months to access these resources. This deprives them of the timely care they need and affects their quality of life, as well as placing their informal caregivers under additional stress for longer and causing burnout.

“The ecosystem of care has far-reaching effects across multiple generations, yet it is also deeply personal to both individuals and their families. I’m proud to join an organisation that offers real options for care recipients to receive care in safe, familiar surroundings and support not just them, but also their families, to live their best lives,” said Johnston.

“But to make a real and lasting difference, we need to tackle issues not just at the home level, but at the industry level as well.”

Homage understands the challenges that the healthcare and caregiving industries are facing with staff availability, which is placing a strain on resources, Johnston said.

Johnston has 21 years of international experience across industries such as financial services, media and retail, and has demonstrated a strong commercial acumen by developing new business plans and financial controls; identifying and analysing key trends and business opportunities; and aligning operational initiatives with business needs. He also has a proven track record of engaging and empowering teams in small and medium enterprises to drive growth.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/designer491