Smart-Home Technologies to Assist Older People to Live Well at Home

Background: With the rapid population ageing that is occurring world-wide, there is increasing interest in “smart home” technologies that can assist older adults to continue living at home with safety and independence. This systematic review and critical evaluation of the world wide literature assesses the effectiveness and feasibility of smart-home technologies for promoting independence, health, well-being and quality of life, in older adults. Methods: A total of 1877 “smart home” publications were identified by the initial search of peer reviewed journals. Of these, 21 met our inclusion criteria for the review and were subject to data extraction and quality assessment. Results: Smart-home technologies included different types of active and passive sensors, monitoring devices, robotics and environmental control systems. One study assessed effectiveness of a smart home technology. Sixteen reported on the feasibility of smart-home technology and four were observational studies. Conclusion: Older adults were reported to readily accept smart-home technologies, especially if they benefited physical activity, independence and function and if privacy concerns were addressed. Given the modest number of objective analyses, there is a need for further scientific analysis of a range of smart home technologies to promote community living. rather than being hospitalized or institutionalized [10]. Smart-home technologies can also promote independent living and safety. This has the potential to optimize quality of life and reduce the stress on agedcare facilities and other health resources [13]. The challenge with smart-home technologies is to create a home environment that is safe and secure to reduce falls, disability, stress, fear or social isolation [14]. Contemporary smart home technology systems are versatile in function and user friendly. Smart home technologies usually aim to perform functions without disturbing the user and without causing any pain, inconvenience or movement restrictions. Martin and colleagues performed a preliminary analysis of the acceptance of smart-home technologies [15]. The results from this review were limited as no studies met inclusion criteria [15]. Given however, the rapid progression of new smart home technologies, a new systematic review of the literature is required. This paper addresses that need by analysing the range of studies undertaken to assess the impact of these technologies on the quality of life experienced by an ageing population accessing these supports. The broader context incorporates consideration of the social and emotional well-being needs of this population. The current review aimed to answer the following research question: “What is the effectiveness of smart-home technologies for Journal of Aging Science Jo ur na l of A ging Sence