While there have been rapid advancements in individual technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Active Assisted Living (AAL) to address challenges related to an aging population, there remain large gaps in how these technologies can be integrated into the broader ecosystem to support older adults in aging in place. This research provides an overview of 15 solutions available to date around the globe and compares key factors for adoption in each solution, including user acceptance, privacy and security, accessibility, and interoperability. To scale these solutions sustainably and universally, the development and implementation of standards for key factors for adoption in AAL environments is critical. There is also a need for increased and sustainable funding to complement research priorities, to continue advancing AAL technologies.
Background Active assisted living (AAL) refers to systems designed to improve the quality of life, aid in independence, and create healthier lifestyles for those who need assistance at any stage of their lives. As the population of older adults in Canada grows, there is a pressing need for nonintrusive, continuous, adaptable, and reliable health monitoring tools to support aging in place and reduce health care costs. AAL has great potential to support these efforts with the wide variety of solutions currently available; however, additional work is required to address the concerns of care recipients and their care providers with regard to the integration of AAL into care. Objective This study aims to work closely with stakeholders to ensure that the recommendations for system-service integrations for AAL aligned with the needs and capacity of health care and allied health systems. To this end, an exploratory study was conducted to understand the perceptions of, and concerns with, AAL technology use. Methods A total of 18 semistructured group interviews were conducted with stakeholders, with each group comprising several participants from the same organization. These participant groups were categorized into care organizations, technology development organizations, technology integration organizations, and potential care recipient or patient advocacy groups. The results of the interviews were coded using a thematic analysis to identify future steps and opportunities regarding AAL. Results The participants discussed how the use of AAL systems may lead to improved support for care recipients through more comprehensive monitoring and alerting, greater confidence in aging in place, and increased care recipient empowerment and access to care. However, they also raised concerns regarding the management and monetization of data emerging from AAL systems as well as general accountability and liability. Finally, the participants discussed potential barriers to the use and implementation of AAL systems, especially addressing the question of whether AAL systems are even worth it considering the investment required and encroachment on privacy. Other barriers raised included issues with the institutional decision-making process and equity. Conclusions Better definition of roles is needed in terms of who can access the data and who is responsible for acting on the gathered data. It is important for stakeholders to understand the trade-off between using AAL technologies in care settings and the costs of AAL technologies, including the loss of patient privacy and control. Finally, further work is needed to address the gaps, explore the equity in AAL access, and develop a data governance framework for AAL in the continuum of care.
BACKGROUND During a period that was referred to as the “pandemic of the unvaccinated” in Alberta, the province had among the lowest vaccination rates in the country and four times the national average of cases. As the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations reached their peak, governments resisted implementing vaccine measures. Users of social media platforms, such as Reddit, posted their discourse about these events in real time, providing a perspective of public attitudes towards public health action or lack thereof. This paper examines the content of posts, applying a qualitative lens to understand the themes underlying those responses. OBJECTIVE The goal of this study is to understand the attitudes and beliefs towards mandatory vaccination policies in Alberta, Canada in September 2021, during the fourth wave of COVID-19. METHODS 9400 posts between September 1st and September 30th, 2021 were collected from the subreddit r/Alberta with Pushshift.io. Posts and comments were manually screened to determine their relevance to research objectives, and then coded using inductive coding methods. RESULTS Inductive coding methods yielded five key themes: (i) sentiments related to autonomy and consent, (ii) concerns about COVID-19 vaccine passport enforcement, (iii) concerns about government, (iv) concerns about the logistics of passports, and (v) sentiments relating to the necessity of passports to prevent lockdowns. CONCLUSIONS Overall, the data presented favorable sentiments towards an Albertan vaccine passport. Anti-vaccine and anti-mandate sentiments were often less extreme than those present in the literature, although this may be due to r/Alberta subreddit moderators removing those more extreme comments. Most reservations were due to issues of bodily autonomy, though concerns about the government and logistics also played a meaningful role.
BACKGROUND Active Assisted Living (AAL) refers to systems designed to improve quality of life, aid in independence, and create healthier lifestyles for those who need assistance at any stage of their lives. As the population of older adults in Canada grows, there is a pressing need for non-intrusive, continuous, adaptable, and reliable health monitoring tools to support aging in place and reduce healthcare costs. AAL has great potential to support these efforts with the wide variety of solutions currently available, but insufficient efforts have been made to address older adults and their care providers' concerns arising from the integration of AAL into care. OBJECTIVE The study aimed to work closely with stakeholders to ensure that recommendations for system-service integrations for AAL aligned with the needs and capacity of the healthcare and allied-health systems. METHODS A literature review was conducted to identify past work related to AAL and the continuum of care and any associated areas of need. Thereafter, 18 interviews with stakeholders were conducted to complement this review, with participants who were either (1) working in care organizations, (2) working in technology development organizations, (3) working in technology integration organizations, or (4) potential care recipients or patient advocates. The results from interviews were coded using a thematic analysis to identify future steps and opportunities regarding AAL. RESULTS Our study showed the need to acknowledge the trade-off inherent in AAL use between the benefits of the technology, their encroachment on privacy, and their cost in terms of time and finances. This trade-off is influenced by several factors, including the care context and what resources care recipients have available to them. Participants described how greater consistency in oversight is needed, preferably at the national level. CONCLUSIONS There is a need for better role definition regarding who can access and who is responsible for acting based on the gathered data and understanding of the trade-off of using AAL technologies in care settings. Further work is necessary to address these needs, as well as explore the equity of AAL access and the development of a data governance framework for AAL in the continuum of care.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.