How smart homes are used to support older people: An integrative review

Abstract

Background The number of healthy older people is increasing, and most of them want to live in their own homes for as long as possible. Smart home technology can support living at home, but synthetised knowledge of previous studies about their suitability for the everyday lives of older people is rare. Methods Data for this integrated review were obtained by searching the PubMed, CINAHL and Scopus databases from 2012 to 2019, based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, and then carrying out quality appraisals of the papers that were selected. Results We identified 944 papers, and 16 were included in the review. According to our analysis, smart home solutions for older people focused on devices for daily and healthy living and older people's safety. The smart home solutions they discussed were used to help older people carry out everyday activities and lead healthier and more fulfilled lives, by improving their physical safety and social communication. Older people reported that smart homes improved their sense of security, quality of daily life and activities and provided them with information about the care they could receive. However, research on older people playing an active role in developing smart home technology was lacking. Conclusion The existing literature focused on evaluating daily activities with routine measurements. There has been a lack of research that has focused on older people's experiences as the end users of this technology. However, the papers lacked data on how older people could maintain their social relationships and become more proactive in daily living. Implications for practice With further development, smart homes can be used to support older people to perform daily activities and help them maintain their social relationships. These steps will ensure that they can continue to live independently in their own homes for longer.

A Qualitative Study toward Technologies for Active and Healthy Aging: A Thematic Analysis of Perspectives among Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary End Users

“…The older adults referred to security and safety as the top value. According to Turjamaa et al [ 68 ], older people reported that smart homes improved their sense of security at home (especially if they lived far away from their relatives), as well as their quality of daily life and activities, and provided them with information about the care they could receive. Therefore, the smart home solutions would be designed to help older people carry out everyday activities and lead healthier and more fulfilled lives, by improving their physical safety and social communication.…”

Design of Smart Home Service Robot Based on ROS

“…Compared with other home service systems, the system designed in this paper has a better user experience, making the user's life more comfortable, convenient, safe, and fun. Reference [7] Temperature and humidity measurement, camera, light control, flame/smoke alarm, human body infrared sensor * * *…”

“…With the development of electronic information technology and the improvement of people's living standards, people are increasingly yearning for the life of smart home [7]. e concept of smart home is to integrate different services in one home by using a common communication system [8].…”

What facilitates the acceptance of technology to promote social participation in later life? A systematic review

“…It can also be used as a means to support communication, mobility, recreation [18] and increase social contact later in life [19]. However, despite significant development over the years [20][21][22][23], most technologies continue to be developed without much consideration of the ageing process and how it may impact its use by older adults [20,24,25].…”