StandingTall: Live Actively, Age Healthier

One in three Australians aged 65+ experiences a fall annually, often leading to hospitalisation, loss of independence, and emotional distress. Traditional prevention programs face challenges like low adherence, high costs, and limited accessibility, especially in rural areas. The challenge was to design a scalable, engaging digital solution that met clinical standards and addressed the unique needs of older adults—considering factors like declining vision, reduced mobility, and varying digital literacy. By focusing on empathetic design principles, the goal was to empower older adults to engage confidently with the program, thereby reducing the risk of falls and enhancing their quality of life.

Collaborating with NeuRA researchers, UNSW clinicians, and over 1,500 co-design participants, we developed an app that assesses fall risk in real time and delivers a personalised exercise regimen, adapting dynamically to each user's progress. The interface features high-contrast visuals and large touch targets to accommodate visual and motor impairments common in older adults. Motion capture animations provide clear, relatable demonstrations of exercises, enhancing comprehension and engagement. A bespoke Content Management System and online training for health professionals ensure seamless deployment across diverse care settings. The warm, intuitive interface—with soothing palettes and clear guidance—invites daily engagement and celebrates every milestone.

StandingTall has achieved 85% adherence at six months and sustained 52% adherence at two years, translating into a meaningful 16% drop in falls and 20% fewer injuries. These outcomes reflect the program's empathetic design tailored for older adults, considering factors like declining vision, reduced mobility, and varying digital literacy. Users report newfound confidence: “I’m not scared anymore—I know I can trust my balance,” says a 79-year-old participant. Early rollouts in NSW and Victoria health networks project long-term cost savings and the potential to replicate success nationwide, demonstrating the program's scalability and positive societal impact.

- Extensive Exercise Library: Over 800 personalised, evidence-based exercises, expanded into more than 6,000 precise variations, deliver tailored balance training to each user’s risk profile and ability. - Motion-Capture Animations: Motion-capture suits recorded real human movement to create lifelike animations for every exercise—making instructions clear, engaging, and easy to follow. - Clinically Proven Efficacy: A two-year randomised controlled trial showed a 16% reduction in falls and 20% fewer injurious falls, confirming the program’s real-world impact on safety and confidence. - Adaptive Programming: Real-time risk assessments dynamically adjust exercise progression to individual abilities, keeping users challenged, motivated, and safe throughout their journey. - Co-Design with Community: Since 2015, over 1,500 community-living older adults have co-created and refined the app in workshops, ensuring it authentically meets users’ needs and preferences. - Gamified Engagement: Built-in milestones, progress badges, and personal best tracking transform exercise into a rewarding daily habit. - Seamless Integration: A custom content-management system and online training modules enable healthcare providers to deploy, monitor, and support users with minimal setup. - Home-Based Delivery: An offline-capable tablet interface overcomes geographic and technical barriers, delivering expert-designed fall prevention directly into users’ homes. - Continuous Validation: Regular peer-reviewed studies and economic evaluations keep the platform at the forefront of scalable, evidence-driven fall-prevention solutions.