CHSP Smarter Safer Homes (SSH) Project
Many people want to stay in their own homes as they age. CSIRO’s Smarter Safer Homes is supporting people to do just that.
Through in-home monitoring via the SSH platform, we are trialling a novel, consumer-centred and on-demand aged care service delivery model of CHSP (Commonwealth Home Support Program) funded services.
The challenge
Australia’s ageing population is steadily increasing. This increase presents significant challenges to policymakers of public healthcare.
Echoing the preferences of many ageing people, there has been a growing policy emphasis on early intervention and ‘healthy’ ageing. This is combined with ‘ageing in place’, i.e., at home as independently as possible.
The Commonwealth Home Support initiative funds entry level aged care service types that are designed to maximise benefits whilst delivering cost-effective care in alignment with aged people’s preferences.
The project aims to discover whether current service type assignment, via the independent assessment body My Aged Care, aligns with the actual daily care needs identified by the SSH platform.
Our response
In partnership with our co-investigators in the fields of health economics and biomedical science, we have designed an observational cohort study to pilot the novel CHSP model among older aged participants.
Using our SSH platform – which uses ambient sensors around the home to detect activity –we will develop a baseline profile of participants’ activities of daily living. Their aged care service provider (ACSP) will monitor any changes in care needs against this baseline.
Participants also have access to the online SSH portal to monitor their own activities of daily living.
Interview surveys will be administered at the end of the project to both participants and ACSP. Information will be gathered to determine the needs analysis of service and care delivery, respectively.
Benefits
It is hoped the study will reveal the SSH platform can more objectively identify participants’ care needs and drive a consumer-centred on-demand service model. The aim is to improve the current alignment between the consumer’s needs and CHSP funded service types.
The Australian e-Health Research Centre (AEHRC) is CSIRO's digital health research program and a joint venture between CSIRO and the Queensland Government. The AEHRC works with state and federal health agencies, clinical research groups and health businesses around Australia.