Elderly Perception on the Internet of Things-Based Integrated Smart-Home System

Abstract

An integrated smart home system (ISHS) is an effective way to improve the quality of life of the elderly. The elderly’s willingness is essential to adopt an ISHS; to the best of our knowledge, no study has investigated the elderly’s perception of ISHS. Consequently, this study aims to investigate the elderly’s perception of the ISHS by comprehensively evaluating its possible benefits and negative responses. A set of sensors required for an ISHS was determined, and interviews were designed based on four factors: perceived comfort, perceived usability, perceived privacy, and perceived benefit. Subsequently, technological trials of the sensor-set followed by two focus group interviews were conducted on nine independently living elderly participants at a senior welfare center in South Korea. Consistent with previous studies, the results of this investigation indicate that elderly participants elicited negative responses regarding usability complexity, and discomfort to daily activities. Despite such negative responses, after acquiring enough awareness about the ISHS’s benefits, the elderly acknowledged its necessity and showed a high level of willingness. Furthermore, these results indicate that for a better adoption of an ISHS, sufficient awareness regarding its benefits and development of elderly-friendly smart home sensors that minimize negative responses are required.

Ethics and acceptance of smart homes for older adults

“…This gives rise to ethical and legal concerns despite the benefits that can be obtained from various assistive technologies. 20,[96][97][98] We have identified five themes related to ethical considerations including privacy, perceived benefits, autonomy, cost, and support of social and natural environments, stigma, social pressure, awareness and other issues. Objects connected via smart phones or laptops such as smart pillbox, door or smart locks.…”

“…This may be due to the lack of knowledge among older adults about the data transmission and other technical details involved in a system. 74,97 Studies show that compared to those in poor health, healthy people also hold more value to data protection, its connection with third parties, its storing process, and policies. People with poor health were more focused on how the technology can benefit them.…”

“…89 Stigma can also lead to hesitation in adopting technology. 97 Another term for this could be Ageism which is a form of discrimination and discourages people from adopting technologies if they are told that this is specifically for frail, vulnerable and old aged people. 123 Awareness, experience or low interaction with technology, ownership of devices (early adoption), and personality can also impact adoption of technology.…”

Deep Learning for Walking Behaviour Detection in Elderly People Using Smart Footwear

“…They are based on the implementation of different sensors and devices (Internet of Things, IoT). However, their adoption may raise certain barriers [ 15 ] and concerns on the part of older adults related to how they perceive these technologies [ 16 ], such as privacy, ease of use, lack of training or suitability for everyday use [ 17 ]. This leads to high rates of dissatisfaction and abandonment of assistive technology and its use.…”

Characterizing Smart Environments as Interactive and Collective Platforms: A Review of the Key Behaviors of Responsive Architecture

“…Consequently, a systematic understanding of smart environments from the perspective of architectural disciplines is largely unexploited. This is a critical knowledge gap, because the creation of physical smart spaces, from smart homes or offices to smart cities [ 4 , 7 , 10 , 19 , 20 ], requires a consideration of buildings. Thus, the underlying research question which this paper addresses is: “how has architectural research characterized and developed smart environments?”…”