Deakin launches Digital Enhanced Living Hub to improve home care

The ARC Digital Enhanced Living Hub will develop home and residential care tools, such as smartphone technology to support the mental health of elderly people and avatar learning tools to improve care for people with dementia.

Speaking at the launch on August 15 at Uniting AgeWell Strathdon community in Forest Hill, Melbourne, Deakin University vice-chancellor Iain Martin said Australia's ageing population "presents us with an emerging social challenge - how do existing facilities and resources keep up with the growing demand for care and support?"

"The Digital Enhanced Living Hub will use digital technology to address the related but different needs of high-quality ageing and high-quality disability and rehabilitation support to allow people to live at home independently for longer. He said collaboration will be key to the work of the hub.

Hub director Professor Kon Mouzakis said the facility, based at the Burwood campus, will give partners access to R&D infrastructure and expertise from Deakin labs including its Applied Artificial Intelligence Institute, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition and Institute for Health Transformation.

The hub is working with partners on four projects that aim to address key themes including independent living and mental wellbeing:

University partners include Australian and international institutions including Monash University, Flinders University, University of New South Wales, University of Technology Sydney, the Auckland University of Technology, the University of Auckland, Dublin City University, Technical University of Denmark, Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen and the University of Copenhagen.

For more information go to delh.com.au