A family’s safety worries have inspired a Sunshine Coast man to create a device that helps elderly Australians stay independent while giving loved ones peace of mind.
Kai Gould, a 20-year-old from Wurtulla, developed MedClock after trying to find a simple way for his family to know his grandfather, Brett, who is in his 80s and lives alone on a rural property west of Toowoomba, was safe each day without constantly calling to check on him.
The device reminds users to take medication or complete a daily check-in. When they press a confirmation button, an SMS is sent to a nominated family member or carer to let them know they are okay.
Mr Gould, an electrical engineering student, said he and his family tried various measures for years before the concept of MedClock came to fruition.
“The problem being my grandad’s alone. You want to make sure he’s okay every day. You don’t want to annoy him with phone calls,” he said.
“We tried SOS watches, SOS necklaces, we did wear both of them. So I’m like, what can I start to build?
“I had a look online, saw there was nothing on the market that could let me check in on him.”
In creating his invention, Mr Gould began with a simple prototype before refining it into the product now used by families around Australia.
“I built just a simple button on the bench: you press that button every day and it’ll send me a message,” he said.
“I developed that into medications and medication times, and on top of that send the SMS.”
Mr Gould launched MedClock in May after funding the venture with savings he had built since he started working at 13 years old. Encouraged by the response to his first Facebook post in Sunshine Coast groups, he quit his part-time engineering job to focus on the business while continuing his university studies.
In just over two months, the business has sold almost 1000 MedClocks.
“It’s been incredible and way better than I could ever have thought,” Mr Gould said.
He said the product had attracted enquiries from Queensland Health, retirement villages and aged care providers looking at ways to help residents remain independent while reassuring families.
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Mr Gould said MedClock’s greatest success remained much closer to home.
“He uses it every day,” he said of his grandfather.
“I get the message, my mum gets the message and we know he’s okay. That’s the main thing. That’s why I built it.”
Mr Gould, who assembles every MedClock with his father in their home garage, said the next challenge was meeting certification requirements to expand into hospitals and retirement villages while continuing to grow production and lower costs.
MedClock currently costs $199, including two years of SMS connectivity, with the ongoing service priced at $49 every two years.
