Innovative chemical solutions for the aged care sector

Ensuring the safety, comfort and wellbeing of nursing home residents is an ongoing challenge for operators amidst rising costs associated with a skills shortage that will see Australia needing an extra 110,000 skilled aged care workers by 2030, according to the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA).

This, combined with increased water, energy and chemical costs, means operators are turning to trusted solutions and cutting-edge technology to ensure that laundry and surface-cleaning provision is delivered cost effectively without compromising on standards.

On-premise laundry

Managers of care home on-premise laundries, facing a constantly high turnover of bed linen, towels and clothing, cannot afford the time and costs associated with rewashing.

Therefore, there exists a demand for chemical dosing systems that inject detergent, fabric softener and additives with high precision and consistency alongside minimal servicing requirement.

These devices traditionally use solenoid or peristaltic pump-driven dosing, while recent developments include venturi-based units that use water pressure to draw chemical.

These systems, such as SEKO’s LS100, have no moving parts, meaning that maintenance consists of little more than occasional cartridge replacements which helps to significantly reduce costs while maximising in-service time.

With wash performance and reduced chemical consumption among the priorities in care home on-premise laundries, IoT-enabled dosing pump systems are increasingly specified for new installations and upgrades alike.

These devices work by harvesting data during operation, including information on wash cycle status, chemical consumption and equipment performance, which can then be accessed historically or in real time via smartphone.

With this vital information at their fingertips, users can programme and adjust wash formulas in order to optimise performance and minimise chemical consumption.

Meanwhile, managers are able to view wash statistics in cost-per-load terms, providing invaluable and accurate insight into their application’s cost which can help them identify chemical wastage and pinpoint areas for potential savings.

Such systems also alert operators to anomalies via smartphone alerts, allowing remedial action to be taken at the earliest opportunity, helping to avoid untimely equipment failure and expensive unplanned downtime.

For those managers responsible for multiple sites or working from home, the ability to take control of their wash operation 24/7 from any location saves time and money while eliminating unnecessary travel as part of a sustainable operation.

Surface cleaning

Infection control in the aged care sector, where vulnerable residents must be protected against the spread of bacteria and viruses, demands robust dispensing systems that deliver a consistent volume of chemical for repeatable results.

When considering chemical dispensers for surface-cleaning tasks such as counter wiping, floor mopping and sink filling, by opting for systems that allow multi-product dispensing from a single control unit (usually via a selector dial) users can quickly and easily switch between products.

Meanwhile, the inclusion of differently-sized metering tips can help users to make fine adjustments and maximise efficiency depending on the chemical being used.

Such systems — which include SEKO’s modular ProMax range — also typically allow customisation, with products colour-coded on the control unit to ensure the correct chemical is selected.

With the Australian aged care sector welcoming employees from around the world in order to address the skills shortage, this universal identification is especially useful to staff for whom English may not be their first language.

SEKO has almost 50 years’ experience in the design and development of chemical systems for the cleaning and hygiene sector, and has worked extensively with public and private healthcare operators to provide bespoke solutions for sites of every size.

www.seko.com

Images: Supplied.