A new smart technology-based solution will help older Australians living independently at home with access to personal and clinical care, ensuring a better quality of life with reduced risk.

More than 80 per cent of Australia’s ageing population are choosing to live at home, increasing the pressure on the healthcare system to provide transparent, high quality care. A stronger focus on consumer-directed care is, therefore, necessary to address aged care quality standards such as access to personal and clinical care, as well as daily living support services.

Developed by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, and now licensed to Australian company HSC Technology Group Ltd, the new smart sensor-based in-home health monitoring solution will allow Australian seniors to send real-time data to their healthcare providers through a seamless, secure and transparent platform.

CSIRO Health Services Group leader Dr Mohan Karunanithi observed that technology could be relied upon to deliver more informed continuity of care for citizens who chose to live independently, while keeping their families updated remotely, and providing 24/7 healthcare information to medical care teams and clinicians.

"Australians are choosing to live longer in their own homes. However, as we age, or as a result of chronic condition, daily tasks can become increasingly difficult, putting our health and safety at risk," Dr Karunanithi said.

"Numerous trials of our Smarter Safer Homes platform across Australia have shown technology-enabled systems and smart sensors can deliver a high quality, in-home care model suitable for independent living and reducing these risks."

Developed by CSIRO's digital health research team at the Australian e-Health Research Centre, the Smarter Safer Homes technology with a patent pending algorithm will be integrated into HSC Technology Group’s TALIUS Smart Analytics platform, which services the aged care and supported living sectors.

The CSIRO Smarter Safer Homes Objective Activities of Daily Living algorithm will turn the collated data from the smart sensors into measures of an individual’s daily life activities such as meal preparation, mobility, hygiene and grooming. This information in the HSC platform will enable senior citizens to self-manage at home safely; simultaneously the medical information will be shared with healthcare providers and family members via a smartphone app and web portal.

The data will help healthcare providers assess changes to treatments or care support, facilitate early intervention if an emergency is predicted, and create accurate reports for transparency and accountability.

HSC Technology Group managing director Graham Russell said, "Our mission is to help the sector shift from reactive to proactive care for those who need it. Our end-to-end technology solutions offer clients privacy but transparency and comfort to loved ones and healthcare providers with 24/7 access to information.  

"We're delighted to have CSIRO's innovative technology as an integrated part of our platform, enabling us to deliver on our commitment of offering customers simple and meaningful solutions."

With over 850 coronavirus-related deaths reported in elderly Australians over 60 years to date, there is an increased interest in smart monitoring technology in recent months to facilitate contact-free assistance and care, and help limit the spread of infection.