Sensors revolutionise aged care

Sensors are revolutionising aged care for older Australians, helping them maintain their independence and age in their own homes for as long as they wish.

These innovative devices are capable of measuring a wide range of variables, including body position, movement, activity levels, sleep quality, blood pressure, blood oxygen saturation, body temperature, heart rhythm and rate, fatigue levels, and respiration rate.

The NSW Smart Sensing Network Grand Challenge Fund has launched a project aimed at transforming home care by determining which sensor-collected data most effectively enhances care. This includes identifying sensor measurements that can best detect and predict deterioration or adverse events.

The insights gained from this project will facilitate personalised care models, enabling clinicians and carers to intervene proactively, thus preventing events like falls and subsequent hospital admissions, and helping maintain clients’ independence and quality of life.

The Meaningful Measures in the Home project is spearheaded by Professor Paul Egglestone, Director of FASTlab at the University of Newcastle.

“Our goal is to identify a universally clinically agreed set of ‘meaningful measures’ that can unlock the potential of IoT devices for home care,” says Mr Egglestone. “This will help healthcare providers move from reactive to proactive care, reducing hospital admissions and enhancing the independence of older Australians.”

Innovative home-based care models using sensor devices, such as wearables, can track vital signs, activity, movement, diet, and nutrition. These technologies have demonstrated their ability to build personal profiles of norms and habits from sensor data, detect risks indicated by thresholds and trends, and send messages and alarms to healthcare providers, carers, and families.

The project team will conduct a meta-analysis of existing studies to identify a subset of meaningful measurements that provide a comprehensive understanding of older people’s wellbeing at home.

This initiative is a partnership that includes co-investigator Professor Jason Prior, Professor of Planning, Health and Environment at the UTS Institute of Sustainable Futures, along with industry partners InteliCare, My Medic Watch, Hills Health, Hospital in Your Home, Vlepis, and United for Care.

“This project will identify a draft suite of meaningful measures and validate these using existing data collected by our industry partners,” Mr Prior says. “This will produce a validated set of meaningful measures, providing personalised information and actionable insights. These insights will facilitate sensor-assisted support for our ageing population and their caregivers, ultimately improving independence, health outcomes, and enhancing the quality of life.”

The project was developed by members of the Healthy@Home consortium, a joint initiative led by the University of Newcastle’s FASTlab, in collaboration with the Central Coast Research Institute and NSW Smart Sensing Network member organisations. The transdisciplinary university members share a vision for data-driven aged care in the home.

“Our ultimate goal is to help people stay safely at home and that depends on us establishing a set of parameters that helps carers responsibly respond to the needs of ageing citizens appropriately,” says NSW Smart Sensing Network Human Health Lead Catherine Oates Smith.

“These measures are vital for this ultimate outcome of keeping people in their homes for as long as possible. Australia, with its robust health system, could lead the way in establishing this set of parameters for every nation in the world.”

The project received a grant from the NSW Smart Sensing Network Grand Challenges Fund earlier this year, paving the way for a future where technology and care converge to enhance the lives of older Australians.

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