The SMILING training approach has been oriented to have a meaningful impact on the organization of elderly rehabilitation processes, keeping in account novel principles of neuro-rehabilitation and focusing on enhancing mobility.
Therefore SMILING is expected to contribute strongly to a new organization of training and rehabilitation programmes to overcome the limitations of traditional rehabilitation paradigms.
Health centres, fitness clubs, geriatric centres, sheltered houses, rehabilitation centres and institutions involved in elderly assistance and care are considered the target market of the SMILING system.
Falls-prevention programmes that are perceived to impact negatively on self-image are likely to be unattractive while those, which are viewed as improving skills or characteristics valued by older people, are likely to be more popular. In interviews older people say that they would participate in falls-prevention initiatives in which they are proactive in managing their own health needs, maintaining independence and improving confidence.
Indeed, the SMILING system applies novel approaches such as adoption of self-learning (and adapting systems) schema because the system's behaviour adapts itself in response to the walking performance of the user.
Moreover, the feedback of the users that used the system during the trials was very positive, and they confirmed they had acquired a greater confidence and a greater awareness of their walking patterns, in particular for risky behaviour.