In a break from hearing about what is "broken," the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System has listened to some more uplifting stories about solutions, including a school that enrols kids and their parents, a simple help-your-neighbour program and a device to alert elderly people's families if they're lonely.

Key points: Victoria's mental health royal commission told a wearable device could help stave off loneliness in the elderly

Victoria's mental health royal commission told a wearable device could help stave off loneliness in the elderly The brooch monitors conversation and can alert families to signs of social isolation

The brooch monitors conversation and can alert families to signs of social isolation The commission also heard about school and neighbourhood programs designed to improve mental health

Deputy Director of RMIT's Health Innovation lab, Matiu Bush, told the hearing about new technology designed to track conversation and highlight social isolation and loneliness — issues that are expected to increase as Australia's population ages.

The CaT Pin is designed to be worn as a brooch to monitor how much older people talk and can alert family or carers if they have been without any human contact.

"It is important, because you'll see a 26 per cent increase in mortality if you're chronically isolated," Mr Bush told the royal commission.

The wearable technology can be set-up to send alerts to family or carers at signs of social isolation.

"At the moment, we've got nothing to tell us in real time if someone is isolated or lonely."

The CaT Pin recently won a $10,000 industry grant and researchers have partnered with an aged care provider to continue work on the device.

Street-by-street program

Mr Bush is also the founder of One Good Street, a program that aims to give people the opportunity to volunteer in their local communities and connect neighbours.

He calls the program "micro-ambitious".

"It's just one street that I have to care for, it's not millions and millions or thousands of people, which is overwhelming," he told the royal commission.

It is a Facebook group which Mr Bush said "makes it really easy for people to do great things for their neighbours."

The idea came to the clinician after he helped an elderly man who had fallen out of bed. That caused Mr Bush to reflect on the burden his assistance had removed from an ambulance crew.

"This is street-by-street, making streets better places and neighbourhoods better places for older people to live, which is very achievable

Schooling for all

The royal commission also heard from the principal of a school in Melbourne's south-east which aims to alleviate disadvantage by making the school a "hub" for families, including students and their parents.

The school strives to help community members with a range of needs including healthcare and adult-learning classes.

The principal of Doveton College, Greg McMahon, told the commission that the school had students from 52 countries, so simple things like helping parents with interpreters to attend parent-teacher nights had reaped big rewards.

The mental health needs were "significant" he said, but the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) was among the services which had set up shop.

"We've got significant trauma in the school for a whole range of reasons," Mr McMahon said.

"There are approximately 100 active cases at any time."

While he said he could not comment on mental health outcomes, Mr McMahon did point to students' engagement as a positive sign.

"When I first got to Doveton, 7 per cent of young people did things after hours. By bringing in after-school opportunities we've got it to nearly 70 to 80 per cent of take-up," he said.

The Andrews Government has committed to implementing the recommendations of the royal commission, which is aimed at improving mental health outcomes, and in particular reducing suicide levels.

The hearings are continuing.