Field Trial & User Feedback (Archived)
The 2020 trial
HalleyAssist ran a large field trial of the platform's performance in home-based aged care in 2020, funded by the Australian Commonwealth Department of Health's Commonwealth Home Support Programme via an Innovation Funding grant. Installation began just as the COVID-19 pandemic emerged and lockdowns began, which shaped both the timing and the relevance of the trial's findings.
The trial was observational by design: participants were monitored by a Clinical Care Coordinator, and family members did not have live app access during the trial itself — outcomes and event details were shared with families after the trial concluded. It had full ethics approval and oversight from a number of research organisations and universities, and focused on:
- acceptability of the technology to elderly users and their families
- measures of carer burden
- ability to support clients with specific needs or challenges
- service offerings aligned with Commonwealth Home Support Program objectives, including wellness and reablement
- health economic analysis
What participants said
"Technology makes me anxious but this technology doesn't." — F, 88
"It makes you feel secure and confident." — F, 81
"It's there to give you confidence, if anything happens you have help at hand." — M, 81
"Staying at home with COVID with technology is very good." — F, 80
"This could be really useful and save injuries." — F, 93
"I truly forgot it was here… I tell people there are little sensors all around the house, watching what I do and if I fall over I get some help… I like someone speaking to me first thing in the morning — … I will probably miss it when it's gone." — F, 89
"The best thing ever invented." — M, 92
"Living on your own, it's very handy in case of an accident." — M, 89
"I really forgot it was there… it's not intrusive to our home life." — F, 87
"I haven't noticed it was there." — F, 73
What family members and carers said
Q: Do you think technology like this has any potential for use in lockdown situations?
"Yes, yes, because people can't just zip over to see parents — each situation would be different, lockdown or not, the system would work well for anyone with a parent or friend with difficulties that was on their own."
Q: If you received an alert about a potential fall, do you believe you could provide assistance or engage emergency services faster?
"Well, yes — if she didn't have the alarm, or phone. And I saw the alert. I'm only 10 minutes away."
Q: Without any assistive technology, if [participant] was alone, fell, and was unable to recover, how long do you think it might take for the situation to be known and for care to arrive?
"That's the thing, who knows — if she doesn't press the alarm… could be days. It keeps me up sometimes, how do you know, if she didn't press it. I wouldn't mind getting phone alerts at night, for peace of mind. I appreciate the tech more than mum does."
Q: What are your main concerns about your mum living alone?
"Her falling, being unconscious, mainly, even though her health is ok, she is a bit more frail. Having had a look at the app screenshots, it's incredible, so many — I could read that and know in my head what she was doing. It was really, really eye-opening to have the information at hand, even the heat in the house. It was amazing!"
Q: Do you feel this technology would improve your mum's confidence about living alone?
"Yes, yes. It's peace of mind really, to the occupant and loved ones. When she got used to the voice, I think she quite enjoyed it."
See also: The Technology · Research & Publications