Ontario study tests AI homecare to cut falls & admissions

CHAH Technology, Stay at Home Nursing and the McMaster Institute for Research on Ageing have launched an 18-month Ontario study of AI-based predictive homecare. The project aims to recruit up to 500 homecare clients.

Backed by envisAGE, with MEDTEQ+ and AGE-WELL as co-leads, the initiative is funded through Canada's Strategic Response Fund. The partners say it will rank among the largest real-world evaluations of predictive AI monitoring in Canadian homecare.

The study will examine whether continuous in-home monitoring and predictive analysis can reduce hospital admissions, falls and other adverse events among older adults living at home. It will focus on people ageing at home or recovering there after illness.

Stay at Home Nursing will integrate the system into its existing care model and workforce across Southern Ontario. The provider has more than 350 active clients, employs more than 220 nurses and personal support workers, and delivers more than 250,000 hours of care each year.

McMaster's Institute for Research on Ageing will lead the independent evaluation. This will include profiling the study population, assessing how acceptable in-home AI monitoring is to older adults and carers, and comparing the system's detection results with research-grade monitoring systems at McMaster's SHAPE smart home facility.

What will be measured

Over the 18 months, the research team will collect data in four areas: detection reliability for falls, wandering and infection risk; acceptability among older adults and caregivers; how practical it is to integrate predictive alerts into existing homecare workflows; and the data needed for a later large-scale assessment of economic and social effects.

The technology being tested, CHAH AI Care, combines in-home monitoring, predictive analysis and a clinical response process. It is designed to flag changes in mobility, cognition and behaviour before a health crisis develops, allowing care teams to intervene earlier.

Robert Stanley, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CHAH Technology and Stay at Home Nursing, said the project is intended to test a different model of care delivery in the home.

"Canada's healthcare system is facing immense demographic pressure. This project allows us to rigorously evaluate a shift from reactive homecare to predictive, data-informed care. We believe the home must become an intelligent extension of the healthcare system - and this collaboration ensures we are building that future on evidence, not assumption," Stanley said.

The study comes as Canada's health system faces rising demand from an ageing population. The partners pointed to projections showing the number of people aged 85 and over could triple by 2050, increasing pressure on hospitals, community care and long-term support services.

Frontline use

For Stay at Home Nursing, the study will test how predictive alerts fit into day-to-day practice for nurses and support workers. The project will be embedded in normal care workflows rather than run as a detached pilot.

"This project is about more than technology. It's about giving nurses and personal support workers better tools to act earlier and more confidently. We are embedding this evaluation directly into our care workflows so we can measure not only detection accuracy, but real clinical response and its impact on clients and caregivers," said English.

The academic element will focus on whether such tools can be introduced safely and effectively as part of efforts to help older people remain in their homes for longer. That includes reviewing not only technical performance but also the ethical and operational questions around AI in care settings.

"Rigourous evaluation is essential when introducing AI into healthcare settings. This collaboration brings together technology innovation, frontline care delivery, and research expertise to assess whether predictive monitoring can be safely, ethically, and effectively integrated into aging-in-place strategies - and to generate the evidence that will determine how these tools should be adopted at scale," said Lafortune.

EnvisAGE said the project reflects the kind of collaboration it aims to support between smaller companies, care providers and research organisations. The programme is a five-year national initiative focused on technologies linked to ageing.

"This project exemplifies the kind of cross-sector collaboration supported by envisAGE. By bringing together an SME, a Community Lab, and a Beachhead, we are catalyzing real-world testing of innovations that have the potential to improve the autonomy, safety, and quality of life of older adults and caregivers," said Boutin.