Comprehensive scoping study on the use of assistive technology by frail older people living in the community June 2008

This report is a systematic review of existing published and unpublished literature relating to assistive technology for frail older people in the community care context. The population of Australia is ageing, and as the population ages, the occurrence of disability also increases. Around 67.5 per cent of people aged 75 years and over are affected by a disability of some kind. Assistive technology is one area with enormous potential to improve the quality of life, mobility and independence of many Australians, enabling them to continue living at home and to remain connected to their communities for longer. Assistive technology is any device, system or design that allows an individual to perform a task that they would otherwise be unable to do, or that increase the ease and safety with which a task can be performed. In combination with face-to-face individual support, assistive technology has the potential to support the independence of older people, improve their safety and security and assist them to continue living at home. A major finding of this study is that while there is a large volume of literature that explores the use of assistive technology by frail older people, high quality evidence which establishes the effectiveness of assistive technology is not prolific. The literature reviewed for this scoping study did include a number of well-designed exploratory studies and expert opinions, however little research has been carried out in the Australian context