Movement monitoring looks set to boost seniors’ safety in their own homes, thanks to local innovation.

Ericom will partner with residential aged-care providers to trial its movement monitoring and messaging system in the homes of 50 seniors throughout this year.

The trial hopes to show that remote monitoring of seniors’ daily routines can help prevent misadventure and improve seniors’ safety by reporting unusual deviations from routine to nominated people such as family or a close friend.

The trial is backed by $260,000 in funding from the Federal Government’s Dementia and Aged Care Services fund, which supports innovative projects to improve seniors’ safety and quality of life.  As Aged Care Minister Ken Wyatt noted when announcing the funding, “there will never be a substitute for the value of personal visits and community connections in supporting our senior Australians” yet  “technology has great potential to improve independence and support sustainable in-home aged care”.

This year’s trial will be evaluated by the University of Wollongong, with the final report to be publicly available to share the potential benefits of this technology across the sector.