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Kickstarter Challenge 2024 Finalist: Catherine McDougall
Catherine McDougall, a former rowing coach from Adelaide and finalist in this year’s Community Impact category, has created an innovative carer platform called Support Plus. This platform is designed to record every aspect of life for individuals with severe disabilities — including favourite foods, medications, care requirements, and NDIS plans — making a significant impact in the caregiving community.
The inspiration for Support Plus came from Catherine’s personal experience caring for her father, Ross, who lives with an acquired brain injury and partial paralysis after suffering a stroke. Two years ago, Catherine quit her coaching job to care for him, only to realise that her family lacked a detailed record of his unique care needs. This realisation motivated her to create a digital tool that could be easily shared with other caregivers in case she could no longer provide care.
“When caring for a loved one, uncomfortable questions often arise: What happens to my loved one if something happens to me? How do I ensure they continue living the life they want?” Catherine explained. Her research revealed a significant gap in the market for a user-friendly, real-time future planning tool to capture an individual’s whole-of-life needs.
“After extensive research, we found no easy-to-use, real-time future planning product available anywhere in Australia that could capture all aspects of an individual’s support needs. Support Plus is the first platform designed to create a personalised plan for current and future care,” she added.
Launched in November 2023, Support Plus features personalised dashboards that act as daily guides, capturing crucial information such as daily routines, care preferences, and accommodation details. A unique ‘handover’ module ensures seamless transitions between caregivers, whether for short-term or permanent arrangements.
With Support Plus, Catherine is safeguarding her father’s future and helping other families navigate the complexities of caregiving with greater ease and confidence.
