The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) called for a policy shift in elderly care on Monday urging authorities to focus on the use of technologies to keep elderly people at home instead of in the hospital.

ATSE says funding should be for the prevention of illness and injury rather than spending on hospital beds and nursing homes.

Prevention and in-home support has not been properly foreseen as critical for the future, and this needs to be addressed, Theaustralian.com quoted Vaughan Beck, ATSE's executive director, as saying. There should be incentives for people to buy supportive devices and systems, and apply them in their own homes, because ultimately that will lower the nation's health bill.

Citing its Smart Technology for Healthy Longevity report, ATSE suggests the application of smart devices and medical systems, including remote monitoring of the elderly at their homes.

However, ATSE cautioned that the exposure of older people to fraud or misuse of their personal information should be addressed.

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