AS a General Practitioner, Floyd Gomes is accustomed to treating people’s ailments. In particular, the founder of the Atticus Health group of GP clinics and aged care medical services has taken a keen interest in the health and well-being of our aged population.
“It has been a slow realisation for me,” said Gomes. “Patients would present to me with conditions, or situations that I could treat, but were also readily preventable in the first place, except that our system isn’t set up correctly to address that.”
Gomes gives the example of an elderly patient that presented with serious burns from a kettle, and thinking “this could have been prevented if the patient had been connected with the right technology, in this case a safe-pour kettle”.
Gomes laments the state of the current system that is fragmented and not fit for purpose.
“We have a patient that needs an outcome, but the current system is just not good enough,” said Gomes.
“It is failing in effectively delivering an outcome for the patient to support them to live at home, and to make them feel empowered by the technology out there designed to do that.”
The GP gives an example of a patient that may require a walking aid.
“We have to refer the client to an occupational therapist to have them assessed for their suitability for the aid, which ends up costing more than the walking aid itself!” said Gomes.
“We have built this medical bureaucracy that works well for the bureaucracy, but terribly for the patient.”
Gomes solution has been to team up with other providers and establish the Peninsula Aged Care Experience Centre in his Hastings Atticus Health Clinic. It is a practical and hands-on place to experience the tools and technology to keep aged people out of care and safely in their homes.
“This has been in the pipeline for a few years, and I am proud to have been able to partner with other providers to present a ‘one-stop-shop’ for people to come and experience the tools they need in one physical space.”
Gomes has teamed up with Westernport Mobility, and aged care technology provider Homeable to create a useful and empowering experience.
“I am really excited to have been able to team up with Ray from Westernport Mobility and Liam from Homeable to bring a personal experience back to a system that has become so impersonal,” said Gomes.
“Here we can move away from the system that has become increasingly transactional, to one that has a personal touch, and can re-empower those that are navigating staying at home safelry and effectively.”
While the rise of mobility aids is reasonably well understood in the market, the use of technology around the home is less well known.
“Having voice-command systems that can automate and person simple tasks is a real gamechanger,” said Gomes.
“And we are really just starting to understand what a profound impact that can have.”
Gomes talks to a future where smart-watches and other devices can provide real-time data to healthcare providers, monitoring the health of an aged person living in their own home.
“We are on the cusp of something great, that will help people immensely,” said Gomes.
“We just need to bring it all together under one room, which is what we’ve done with the Peninsula Aged Care Experience Centre.”
Gomes tells of a recent trip to Canberra to speak of the gaps in aged care, and what can be done.
“It was frustrating. I was basically told ‘That’s great, but you’re a decade ahead of your time’. That’s the system we work with, and the system I’m dedicated to change.
Gomes points out that the government provides funding that aged people can access for assistive technology that helps keep them independent.
“What is available is almost like another set of helping hands in your home. I’d encourage people to look at it. It will really surprise you what can be done to keep you living independently.”
Peninsula Aged Care Experience Centre is located at Atticus Health, 2104/2106 Frankston – Flinders Rd, Hastings. There is no need to book; just drop in and ask to speak to a care partner. Alternatively, there is a drop-in service for anyone who needs help navigating the aged care system every first Wednesday of the month from 1pm – 3pm. The next dates are 6 May, 3 June and 1 July.
First published in the Mornington News – 5 May 2026
