A purpose‑built research facility aimed at helping older Australians and people with disabilities to build the confidence and skills to live independently at home and avoid unplanned hospitalisation has opened in south-east Melbourne.
The Independent Living Laboratory and Mobility Garden is one of six research simulation facilities in the Frankston and Mornington Peninsula region run by the National Centre for Healthy Ageing (NCHA), in partnership with Bayside Health Peninsula and Monash University.
The facilities include an Intergenerational Playground encouraging children and adults to connect through STEM activities, Ageing Well Clinics promoting healthy ageing in the community, a Smart Ward designed to improve patient care and experience in hospitals, a Multipurpose Research Facility for physical rehabilitation research and a Digital Library for improving healthcare communication.
The Independent Living Laboratory looks like a typical home, but behind the scenes it is equipped with “cutting-edge” assistive technology – including life-sized robotics to promote group rehabilitation programs, AI-enabled glasses to assist people with memory issues and detection systems to prevent falls or identify out-of-the-ordinary behaviour patterns that could indicate a person needs help.
The facility is designed to allow people to trial new technologies and see accessible housing design in practice – with the support of clinicians, researchers and disability and aged care providers.
NCHA Director and Professor of Medicine at Monash’s Peninsula Clinical School Velandai Srikanth said investing in these research initiatives could “change many lives.”
“We are excited about the transformative impact these facilities will have in generating evidence to inform government, industry, education, technology and service sectors,” Professor Srikanth, who is also Director, Research at Bayside Health Peninsula, said.
“With industry and government partnerships, this approach could be replicated in more communities across Australia, unlocking even greater national impact.”
Dean of the Monash Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture Professor Mel Dodd said good design could play a critical role in creating future models of care.
“This project shows how architecture, technology and health research can come together to create co-designed environments that genuinely support independence and quality of life as people age,” Pro Dodd said.
“To support healthy ageing, we have to look beyond just clinical care and start looking at the lived experience of the home.
“We’ve created a modular environment where Monash researchers and health practitioners can rigorously test how physical layouts and digital tools interact with human behaviour in real-time.”
Monash School of Primary and Allied Health Care Associate Professor Libby Callaway said many older Australians and people with disability want to be decision-makers in how they live, where they live and who they live with.
“There have been major reforms in both disability and aged care to support people to live at home rather than in institutional settings like group homes or aged care, but many people don’t know where to start,” A/Prof Callaway said.
“The Independent Living Laboratory helps close that knowledge gap by letting people try, test and learn in a realistic home environment before making decisions that affect their everyday lives.”
The NCHA receives foundational investment from the Commonwealth Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, with the establishment of the Independent Living Laboratory supported by Building 4.0 CRC, Fleetwood Australia, Frankston City Council, St Kilda Football Club, Belvedere Community Centre and Wallara.
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