Motiview. Award winning impact.

Yet across Australia, many people living in residential aged care remain sedentary for long periods of time, despite overwhelming evidence linking physical activity to improved quality of life, mobility, cognition, emotional wellbeing and social connection. For people living with dementia, inactivity is even more pronounced.

At Harbison, we believe innovation in ageing should not have to be complicated to be meaningful. Motiview has proven that a program can be simple, scalable, affordable and effective while still delivering life changing outcomes for older people.

This is not simply a lifestyle issue. It is a quality of life issue. It is also increasingly becoming a policy issue.

The strengthened Aged Care Quality Standards place greater emphasis on independence, mobility, reablement, function and participation in meaningful activities. Standards relating to care, clinical care, environment and residential community all reinforce the importance of supporting older people to remain active and engaged. However, while the intent is clear, the sector still faces a significant gap between policy expectations and the practical realities of implementation.

At Harbison, we decided not to wait for the perfect solution or additional funding to start making change.

In 2018, Harbison introduced Motiview, an innovative Norwegian wellbeing program combining exercise bikes with semi-immersive virtual cycling experiences. Originally designed to support people living with dementia, the program enables participants to cycle through familiar streets, scenic landscapes and meaningful locations from around the world while exercising safely indoors.

What began as a small initiative quickly became something much bigger.

Over the past several years, Harbison has adapted and refined the program to meet the needs and preferences of our residents and community. The results have been profound, not only in physical outcomes, but in confidence, engagement, emotional wellbeing and social connection.

Residents who were previously disengaged began participating again. Conversations were sparked through memories and familiar places on screen. Families joined rides. Friendly competition emerged. Cycling groups formed. Residents became motivated not because they ‘had to exercise,’ but because the experience felt meaningful, enjoyable and empowering.

Importantly, the program has helped challenge outdated assumptions about ageing.

At Harbison, we often say that age should never be a barrier to experiencing joy, movement, purpose or achievement. Competition is meaningful at any age! Motiview has become a powerful example of this philosophy in action.

In 2023, Harbison partnered with the internationally recognised MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour and Development at Western Sydney University to formally evaluate the program. Published by BMC Geriatrics in 2024, the research found evidence that Motiview contributed to improvements across physical, psychological and social wellbeing, while also positively impacting staff and family experiences.

The findings reinforced what we had already witnessed firsthand: simple, person-centred innovation can have a transformational impact when implemented thoughtfully and consistently.

Building on this earlier work, Harbison has now been named as a partner organisation in a newly funded Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Project exploring how motivation science can improve wellbeing outcomes for older Australians living in residential aged care. Led by researchers from Western Sydney University alongside aged care, industry and technology partners across Australia and Norway, the project aims to generate new knowledge about how individual motivators influence engagement, adherence and benefit within exercise and wellbeing programs in residential aged care. The nationally funded project forms part of a broader $99.8 million Australian Government investment supporting research partnerships aligned with Australia’s national priorities.

For Harbison, this next phase of research represents an important opportunity to contribute to the future of evidence-based wellbeing approaches in ageing, while helping strengthen understanding of how providers can better support physical, psychological and social wellbeing outcomes for older people.

Today, Harbison is proud to support a growing Australian Motiview network, connecting providers across the country as part of a global community spanning more than ten countries and thousands of active older people.

The program has also received international recognition, including multiple awards at the 13th Asia Pacific Eldercare Innovation Awards, highlighting the growing global interest in practical approaches to improving quality of life in ageing.

But for Harbison, this is about much more than awards.

The success of Motiview demonstrates that some of the most impactful innovations in ageing are not necessarily the most complex or expensive, but those that are simple, scalable, affordable and effective enough to be embedded into everyday care.

That is why we continue to expand the program beyond traditional residential care settings. We are also exploring mobile and in-home applications to support people receiving care in the community, along with future opportunities in rehabilitation and disability services.

We believe innovation in ageing should not exist in silos. It should drive cross sector improvement.

However, while providers can and should innovate, the reality is that long-term barriers remain. Workforce pressures, fragmented systems, inequitable funding models, limited access to equipment and services, and inconsistencies between aged care, health, disability and community systems continue to impact the ability of providers to scale meaningful wellbeing initiatives.

If Australia is serious about improving how people age, there must be greater support for research translation, preventative health approaches, physical activity programs, and practical innovation that can be embedded into everyday care.

Large providers certainly have a role to play, but regional and community-based organisations also have enormous potential to lead change when given the opportunity and support.

At Harbison, we are proud that a regional not-for-profit organisation from the Southern Highlands of New South Wales has been able to contribute to a growing international conversation about what positive ageing can and should look like.