Researchers are currently testing the effectiveness of internet-connected devices, including smart medication dispensers, falls detector and activity monitors to improve the health of older people.
The initiative, which is being led by specialists from the universities of Sussex and Brighton with the help of professionals from Brighton and Hove City Council, NHS Brighton and Hove Clinical Commissioning Group and Kent, and Surrey & Sussex Academic Health Science Network, is being carried out at Leach Court in Kemp Town.
Dr Theo Fotis, Principal Lecturer in health sciences at the University of Brighton, said that the aim of the Living Laboratory was to “empower citizens to better manage their own health, at a time when restrictions on funding make it hard to provide the level of quality healthcare needed for an ageing population”.
He added: “The uniqueness of the project is that we are working in the community, with the community, and for the community to provide stakeholders with a tool to accelerate digital health innovation.”
The first stage of the project will involve building the infrastructure, testing the technologies and measuring the effectiveness of devices through the sharing of residents’ experiences with doctors, university academics and technology industry experts.