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Implementing technology to enhance in-home aged care: An evidence-based guide

Technology in aged care
ADDED 28 Jul 2025

Baldwin Kwan, Research and Innovation, Silverchain
Frances Batchelor, National Ageing Research Institute
Marissa Dickins, Research and Innovation, Silverchain
Sue Williams, National Ageing Research Institute
Tanya Davison, Research and Innovation, Silverchain
 

Technology has become a cornerstone of everyday life over the last decade. The use of smartphones, computers, and wearable devices is increasingly common. This is reflected in the digital habits of older Australians.1

Data from 2020 show that more than 90% of older Australians have internet access at home, and around four in five use mobile phones to access the internet.1 Although older Australians receiving in-home aged care services are likely to be older and have more complex care needs, Silverchain research found that nine out of ten in-home aged care recipients owned technology, which they used for everyday activities such as making phone calls (76%), sending emails (56%), and accessing the internet (51%).2

Aged care providers have typically been slow to adopt digital technologies to deliver care in the home.3 Yet,  technology has been shown to improve the quality of care delivered by improving care coordination and access to care, and enabling social interactions for socially and geographically isolated care recipients.4–6 There are several barriers that hinder uptake within in-home aged care, such as individual, workforce, and system readiness for technology, as well as ethical issues.7 Practical tools and strategies are required to address these barriers and help providers successfully implement a range of different types of technology.

Aged Care Research & Industry Innovation Australia funded an academic-industry partnership between the Melbourne Ageing Research Collaboration, led by the National Ageing Research Institute, and Silverchain, a leading national in-home care provider, to address this gap. 

Our team of researchers, in-home aged care workers, and consumer representatives conducted multiple studies and a co-design workshop. Using these inputs, our researchers created an evidence-based Technology Implementation Framework (the Framework), specifically designed for the in-home aged care setting.

The Framework contains seven themes identified in our research:

  1. Technology Design Factors and Features
  2. Privacy, Security and Trust
  3. Training and Technical Support
  4. Organisational Design and Culture
  5. Aspects of Client Care
  6. Digital Literacy
  7. Perceived Benefit of Technology

We provide guidance and practical strategies to support technology implementation within each theme. Providers can use the accompanying implementation checklist to summarise relevant implementation enablers and barriers in the context of their service provision. We recommend using this checklist when developing an implementation plan for any type of digital technology.

This Framework represents a contemporary evidence-based guide to help service providers and technology developers understand the intricacies of technology implementation within in-home aged care. We expect it will be particularly useful for providers who are relatively new to using technologies with their clients, such as wearables, sensors in the home, and applications. 

To access the full version of the Framework for Enabling Technology Supported Aged Care at Home, implementation checklist, and supplementary information, please visit here.

References:

1. Source: (Australian Government, Australian Communications and Media Authority 2021) The digital lives of older Australians

2. Source: (Silverchain 2024) Technology Use Survey: National Report

3. Source: (Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety 2021) Care, Dignity and Respect Final report 

4. Lolich et al. (2022) Technology in the Home Care of Older People: Views from Finland and Ireland. J Cross Cult Gerontol 

5. Lu et al. (2025) Impact of the Smarter Safer Homes Solution on Quality of Life and Health Outcomes in Older People Living in Their Own Homes: Randomized Controlled Trial. J Med Internet Res

6. Doraiswamy et al. (2021) Telehealth Use in Geriatrics Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic-A Scoping Review and Evidence Synthesis. Int J Environ Res Public Health

7. Barnett et al. (2019) Technology ageing and aged care: Literature review. Aged Care Industry IT Council

The views and opinions expressed in Knowledge Blogs are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of ARIIA, Flinders University and/or the Australian Government Department of Health, Disability and Ageing.