PAS 2026
The
Question We asked four Positive Ageing Summit stakeholders:
How is technology improving positive ageing?
Technology is changing how we manage ageing because around one in three For decades, much of what we people aged over 65 experience a know about health in later life has come from occasional clinic fall each year, often with serious visits or questionnaires. Today, consequences. technology allows us to see how Changes in gait may people move, sleep and function also reflect emerging health in their everyday lives. This conditions such as cognitive Dr Kim van Schooten creates opportunities to identify decline, COPD or Parkinson’s changes earlier and support people at the disease long before problems become right time, while reaching far more people obvious. In our research on safe mobility in than clinic visits alone. ageing and disease, we use wearable sensors One exciting development is wearable to monitor mobility in daily life and identify technology. Small sensors, similar to those early signs of balance problems that might used in smartwatches or fitness trackers, can otherwise go unnoticed. These technologies measure how people walk, turn and move are also helping us understand how factors throughout the day. In many ways, they such as sleep and medication use influence function like a Holter monitor for mobility, next-day mobility and fall risk. capturing continuous information about Technology is also making evidencethe amount and quality of movement rather based support easier to deliver. For than relying on a brief clinic assessment. instance, StandingTall is a digital These everyday movements contain balance exercise program that provides valuable information. Subtle changes in personalised balance training older people walking patterns can signal early mobility can complete safely at home. The program decline or increasing fall risk. This matters adapts to each person’s ability and allows
people to train regularly without needing to attend a clinic, making fall prevention more scalable and accessible. Our research has shown that it can reduce falls by around one in five. For aged care providers, these technologies offer opportunities to support positive ageing. They can help identify early signs of decline, guide targeted interventions, and enable older people to maintain mobility and independence for longer. Technology will not replace good care, but it can help care providers identify risks earlier and support older people in remaining active, confident, and engaged in everyday life. Associate Professor Kim van Schooten is a senior research fellow at Neuroscience Research Australia and Conjoint Associate Professor at UNSW Sydney PAS 2026: Associate Professor Kim van Schooten joins a panel discussing technology and innovation on day 1
Technology supports a preventive approach Technology is becoming a That’s the strength of iLA’s powerful tool for supporting digital platforms, such as LiveUp positive ageing, not by promising and Keep Able. They turn miracles, but by helping people evidence-based information live well for longer with greater into straightforward actions that capability, confidence, and dignity. people can use immediately. Loss of independence doesn’t Whether it’s an older person Hilary O’Connell arrive with fanfare. It unfolds looking for simple ways to stay gradually: small shifts in balance, reduced active or a sector worker trying to embed muscle strength, hesitating on the stairs, reablement in their practice, these tools feeling less confident getting out and about. meet people where they are. Most people dismiss these subtle signs as Together, these platforms help people “just getting older,” yet it’s exactly at these notice early shifts in function, explore early stages that digital tools can make a simple home adjustments that can reduce meaningful population-level impact. falls risk, build strength and balance through When guidance is accessible, easy to daily activity, stay socially connected, and understand, and grounded in everyday understand how assistive technology can actions, people are far more likely to maintain – rather than replace – capability. make small changes that protect their They also support the sector by helping independence and quality of life. The good organisations embed reablement approaches news is that this kind of proactive, practical consistently across the workforce. support – applied consistently –can help Because this information is digital, it slow age-related functional decline. reaches people long before they appear 38 | AUTUMN 2026
on waitlists or in crisis-driven care pathways, and it’s available whenever and wherever it is needed. To date, more than 1.5 million users have accessed these platforms, with a broader reach of over 5 million people receiving consistent, empowering messages about staying strong, independent, and connected. Most importantly, none of this replaces the human relationships at the heart of positive ageing – it strengthens them. By making evidence-based advice widely available, iLA is helping shift Australia toward a more proactive, preventive approach to ageing, giving people the best chance to live the life they want as they age. Hilary O’Connell is principal advisor of healthy ageing and reablement at Independent Living Assessment – iLA PAS 2026: Hilary O’Connell delivers a session on LiveUp and Keep Able on day 1