Our paper on the "Perceptions of In-home Monitoring Technology for Activities of Daily Living: Semistructured Interview Study With Community-Dwelling Older Adults" was just published on JMIR Aging 2022;5(2):e33714 doi:10.2196/33714!
Thanks co-authors Nicola Camp, Julie Johnston, Martin G C Lewis, Alessandro Di Nuovo, Kirsty Hunter and Daniele Magistro for the excellent work!
Many older adults want to stay in their own homes for as long as possible. However, it can be difficult to make sure they can live independently. One solution that is being considered is using technology to monitor them. However, there is still disagreement about what activities should be monitored and what technology should be used.
This study looked at what older adults think are important daily activities and what technology they would be willing to use in their homes. Researchers talked to 32 older adults in the UK, with half being between 55 and 69 years old and the other half being 70 or older.
Both groups agreed that activities related to personal hygiene and eating were the most important. They also said that socializing was important. The older group thought some activities, like using stairs and taking care of their feet, were more important than the younger group did. The older group had less experience with technology but was more willing to use wearable sensors. The younger group preferred sensors that were placed in the home, but they only wanted them if they needed them.
Overall, the study found that older adults are willing to use technology to monitor their daily activities. However, developers and caregivers need to be aware that different people may be more or less willing to use different types of technology. As more older adults become interested in technology, it may become more accepted. In the future, developers should create technology that is simple and easy to use, and that is designed for a specific purpose that older adults can understand.
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