Smart Sensing for Healthier, Safer Ageing, both at Home and in Care Settings.
Australia confronts the prospect of a vulnerable ageing population, with long-term health problems, placing significant stress on our healthcare system over the next 30 years. The proportion of people aged 65 years or over is estimated to grow from 3.7 million in 2017 to 8.7 million by 2057 (22 per cent of the total population).
One of the grand challenges faced by our nation is to create an age-friendly future for our seniors to live in their own homes with dignity, independence, and with immediate access to care.
From real-time monitoring of vital signs, falls and signs of a stroke, to smart water taps and automated appliances, smart sensing technology will play a key role in improving the present infrastructure.
Technology-assisted living eases the process of receiving immediate medical assistance at one’s home, empowering people to manage their own care while resulting in lower government expenditure.
In 2018–19, government expenditure on aged care services amounted to $20.1 billion, with $13.2 billion (65.6%) spent on residential aged care services.
The NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN), a consortium of nine leading universities across NSW & ACT, is well-placed to lead the change, connect stakeholders from across multiple sectors, and provide the R&D expertise necessary for building a safe, secure and user-friendly environment for ageing Australians.
NSSN Grand Challenge: Ageing
The NSSN Grand Challenges aim to focus the resources and capabilities of our network on key areas of national concern, such as the ageing population, where smart sensing can play a critical role. More than 100 researchers and over 10 research centres within our network of universities have direct expertise and R&D capabilities in this area.
We will join forces with industry and government partners to build a safer, smarter and reliable future that ageing Australians will wish to adopt. We will create a smart and connected infrastructure designed to accommodate the unique needs of individuals, at home, in hospitals and aged care settings.
The NSSN Ageing Grand Challenge responds to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):
Smart Wearables for Healthy Ageing
Researchers at the University of Sydney have developed sensors that can be attached to the body or woven into clothing. These sensors have countless possibilities to sense fine and course movements corresponding to vital signs such as heart rate, oxygen respiration rate, blood pressure, temperature, or musculoskeletal motion. This technology has further application for monitoring patients in hospitals, nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities and next-generation home monitoring.
Telehealth: Smart Care in the Age of IoT
Researchers at UNSW and Western Sydney University are developing a smart and integrated system to deliver healthcare to older Australian in the comfort of their own home. Empowered by Artificial Intelligence (AI), this intelligent eco-system of smart sensors and wearable devices will allow for reduced hospitalisation rates and supports individuals in the management of their own care.
A one-year national study conducted by CSIRO (2013-2014), found patients receiving telehealth support experience 53 per cent reduction in hospitalisation rates and stay hospitalised for substantially shorter periods (67.9 per cent reduction in the predicted rate of length of stay). According to CSIRO, the telehealth study has shown that the system could annually save up to $3 billion for our healthcare system.
NSSN Ageing Grand Challenge Forum
The NSSN Ageing Grand Challenge Forum brought together researchers, government and industry stakeholders to collaboratively devise innovative solutions in March 2022.
The morning session provided an opportunity to hear from government and industry on the challenges they face in delivering services to an ageing population that demands quality and respect. Around three panel sessions, we asked what problems smart sensing technology can solve that could lead to better outcomes while lowering costs of aged care.
In the afternoon, a sandpit format brought researchers, government and industry together to discuss and devise solutions. The objective was to form collaborative R&D projects capable of securing government, industry and NSSN funding.
With the support of the NSW Government, the NSSN is your one-stop shop for multi-disciplinary expertise and technology.
To find out more about the NSSN Ageing Grand Challenge, please contact Catherine Oates Smith at catherine.oatessmith@nssn.org.au
