Living Lab - Assistive Technology for the Home (AT@Home)

A great deal of assistive technology is becoming available that can not only make daily life easier and more enjoyable but also promote self-reliance. Assistive technology can help maintain a high level of accessibility, affordability and quality of care and wellbeing, despite the major challenges regarding staff shortages. The problem is that much of this technology does not meet the requirements and needs of end users. It also often does not fit well with the day-to-day practice of care and welfare. In addition, little is known about, for example, ease of use, effectiveness and durability. Partly because of this, uptake lags behind and solutions are not always sufficiently effective in practice. To change this, the research group  Technology for Health Care works together with end-users, (future) healthcare professionals, companies and other stakeholders.

Living lab

The living lab Assistive technology for the home' is part of Medical Delta, a collaboration of multiple partners in the region. Together with companies, healthcare institutions and public authorities, Medical Delta is working on innovative solutions for sustainable healthcare. This is done through research programmes and practical living labs. These are divided into four societies. This living lab aligns with the Care Society, whose central task is to keep care deliverable amid workforce constraints.

Project developer Marjan Hornstra Moedt: 

The focus in this living lab is on needs and experiences of end-users and their informal caregivers: it is about evaluations in the 'real' lives of those who need assistive technology.

Objective

The aim of the living lab is to support people with health problems and/or functional impairments by evaluating and implementing innovations in everyday life. This can help ensure proper information on effective and high-quality technology, as well as the availability thereof.

Target group

The target group of the living lab are adults who experience functional impairments in their daily lives due to congenital disabilities, chronic diseases, old age or other causes.

Method

Together with relevant stakeholders (co-creation), promising innovations are evaluated and implemented in real-life settings. This involves collaboration with the target group and care organisations as much as possible, including within the Medical Delta research programme AT@home.

Results

The living lab provides knowledge about the value of technology in the daily lives of people in need of care or assistance. Developers of such technology, suppliers, funders and other parties can come to the living lab to have products tested and evaluated by the target audience. The results of these evaluations will be made available to all, so that it can be applicable to other home aids where possible.

Impact

The living lab contributes to improving the inclusion of assistive technology in the daily lives of residents with care or support needs, by improving the match between this technology and their needs and preferences, allowing them to design their lives as they prefer. With this, the living lab makes an important contribution to keeping healthcare affordable, humanised and accessible. In addition, the living lab aligns with the Medical Delta societies, regional and national agendas, the research themes of the knowledge institutes, and education.

Duration

The living lab started in September 2024 and will continue until August 2028.

Collaboration

For this project, The Hague University of Applied Sciences is collaborating with:

• Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences
• Inholland University of Applied Sciences
• ROC Mondriaan
• Vegro
• Medux

Funding

The living lab is made possible by Medical Delta.

More information

More information about the living lab can be found on the Medical Delta website, in both Dutch and English. 

Contact

Marjan Hornstra Moedt ([email protected])