Real Care is a free mental health and wellness app specially designed by the real estate industry. It recognises the specific stresses and issues faced by agents and gives you the tools to manage anxiety, anger, your physical health and even your finances!
Why real estate needs the Real Care app
The Real Care app is the primary project of the Rise Initiative, a collaborative organisation formed in 2019 to recognise the mental health crisis occurring in real estate in Australia and New Zealand.
Real Care provides free access to mental health resources for real estate agents and their families in the form of a mobile phone app that can be accessed easily and discreetly at any time.
The Real Care app is the result of thousands of hours of research of real estate agents which revealed that some 65% of agents report physical symptoms caused by job-related stress and anxiety.
Research of more than 1,000 Australian real estate agents found that two out of five agents feel overwhelmed by their work and almost half (47%) say that anxiety is a consistent part of their professional life. Some 26% use alcohol to cope with the stress, and 7.5% say they’ve resorted to illegal, recreational drugs.
The legacy of these shocking statistics are burn-out and even suicide. In 2014 the Coroner’s report of Victoria officially classified real estate as a ‘high-risk industry’ with an average annual suicide rate of 13 people per 100,000 employees, placing it higher on the danger spectrum than policing.
The Real Care app has been built in conjunction with technology and public health expert David Stanley and the team at Utility Creative, who have produced a similar resource for the police forces across Australia and New Zealand.
The app addresses major stressors faced by agents including financial health, well-being checks, guidance for self-care, as well as rapid response features for crisis intervention.
key features of the Real Care app
Wellbeing Check
This is a series of tools that allow an agent to self-assess their stress levels, emotional mood and sleep patterns. Agents can also access exercise tips to help reduce stress levels after a difficult encounter.
Real Budget
Agents can create an easy-to-read budget of income and outgoings that will help track spending and stay in control of their financial situation. Agents can also enter savings goals and work towards them.
Self-Care
Lifestyle tips, techniques to improve sleep habits and an exercise guide are included in this part of the Real Care app.
Call Backup
Agents can find details of professional organisations if they need immediate help and contacts of family and friends to talk to during a stressful period.
Progress Tracker
An agent’s data is retained so they can review the self-assessments of their wellbeing, stress levels and sleep patterns and measure the improvements.
The Real Care app is an initiative that we believe will improve mental health in the real estate industry and save lives. Download the app from iTunes or Google Play today.
