The DIYmodify App is a first of its kind App designed by HMinfo researchers to give people with disabilities and older Australians the product information they need to modify their homes and stay in them for longer. The first stage of the research revealed that:
- More than 15,000 DIY home modifications are undertaken by people with disability and older Australians each year in NSW alone
- Home modifications can reduce care giving hours by 42 per cent and increase health related quality of life by 40 per cent
The DIY modify App, development was codesigned with and by people with disabilities, carers and older people and was fully funded by the Department of Family and Community Services to help Australian consumers make decisions around purchasing five common home modifications including grab rails and handheld showers.
DIYmodify was launched on Friday, 19 May by the NSW Minister for Disability Services Ray Williams. The App is free and available for both iPhone/iPad and Android devices.
The App links directly to UNSW’s HMinfo Clearinghouse website, which provides the most up to date information and research available on home modifications. HMinfo is an information service tasked with collating, reviewing and creating the evidence base for best practice in modification of the home environment to support people with problems in self-care, participation and autonomy.
HMinfo is located within the faculty of the Built Environment at UNSW, Sydney.
Contact
Home Modification Information Clearinghouse (HMinfo)
UNSW Built Environment
Sydney NSW 2052, Australia
Level 4, West Wing, Red Centre Building, Kensington Campus.
Phone: +61 2 9385 4529 / 1800 305 486
Email:
hminfo@unsw.edu.au
