THE GYMNASIUM OF THE AUSILIA PROJECT FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Disability and personal autonomy in everyday life is an important challenge that Italy is nowadays facing through innovative research projects developed and carried out by multidisciplinary teams, who work on the territory collaborating with the national and/or local health service, universities and other institutions. It is in this context that AUSILIA (Assisted Unit for Simulating Independent Living Activities) project has to be included. The AUSILIA purpose is the development of an innovative service in order to identify user- centred solutions aimed to improve the quality of life and promote independence at home for persons with disabilities and the elderly. Located inside a rehabilitation hospital, AUSILIA consists of a smart apartment and a trial gymnasium. The paper describes the gymnasium, an innovative experiential living lab where users or patients have the chance to test different home environmental configurations and aids aimed at improving the performance of the basic and instrumental activities of daily living.