Assisting Transition: Growth Prospects for the Development of the Assistive Technology Industry in South Australia

Abstract

Around the world, but particularly in the advanced Western economies and key Asian economies, populations are ageing, retirees are wealthier than ever before, governments are moving to provide greater assistance to persons with disabilities and new technologies are creating the prospect of longer, more independent, more active and healthy lives. And, of course, the incidence of people with a disability rises in tandem with population ageing. Individuals and communities are demanding access to assistive technologies (or AT) in line with their higher incomes, requirements for a high quality of life, and the technological innovations that are creating an ever-more vast array of possibilities. Governments concerned with the rising cost of caring for older persons and those with a disability will support solutions that enable them to be cared for in their homes rather than in dedicated care facilities where the costs are higher. At the same time governments are encouraging older workers to participate in the workforce for as long as possible. Assistive technologies have an important role to play in facilitating these objectives.