A case study of an ambient living and wellness management health care model in Australia

Abstract

The QSHI (Queensland Smart Home Initiative) consortium was established in Queensland Australia in 2006 for the purpose of promoting a model of health care based on ambient living and wellness management. This model was based on the adoption of smart home and intelligent assistive technologies. A technology research and development program was also established to promote independent living, improved quality of life and reduced unnecessary hospital admissions for the frail elderly, chronic illness sufferers and people with disabilities. The consortium joined the technology industry, care providers, government and researchers to a collaborative Research & Development program to assist people and their families. The first Phase has been completed and on-going streams of research have been established. These included the establishment of a demonstrator Smart Home in a residential retirement and aged care complex in a metropolitan setting in Queensland, Australia. This paper reports on the development of the model and outlines the project scope and experiences, the outcomes and learnings achieved, and details the planning considerations for future developments. © 2009 Springer Berlin Heidelberg.