Perception of Smart Home Technologies to Assist Elderly People

In the last decade, the number of elderly
population has increased significantly which affects
human in many aspects, especially in healthcare. Many
studies have shown increases in expenditures on longterm
care. New models of care are needed including
supported self-care and home-based services. Advance
in sensor and network technologies have made these
possible. A smart home which is a residence equipped
with smart technologies providing services that enhance
human way of living i.e. safety, security, entertainment,
etc would allow elderly to maintain living independently
in their homes and still in control of their healthcare
cost and status. This paper reviews various topics on
smart home technologies including smart home
projects, smart home network, smart home appliance
and sensor technologies for smart home. A successful
adoption of smart home technologies requires
appreciation of stakeholders’ perceptions, needs and
concerns. A survey has been carried out at a major
hospital, nursing homes and general population to
explore the perception of six smart home technologies
to assist elderly people and concerns regarding the use
of smart home technologies. Overall, the result showed
positive feedbacks toward these technologies.
Participants were concerned about issues such as lack
of human responders, user friendliness of the device
and the need of learning new technology. In terms of
willingness of adoption of these technologies is still
unclear. However, it is suggested that by giving real
experiences of smart home technologies, their
usefulness and effectiveness would be more appreciated.