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Older Adults' Attitudes Towards and Perceptions of "Smart House" Technologies |
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The study aim is to explore the perceptions and expectations of seniors in regard to "smart home" technology installed and operated in their homes with the purpose of improving their quality of life and/or monitoring their health status. Three focus group sessions were conducted within this pilot study to assess older adults' perceptions of the technology and ways they believe technology can improve their daily lives. Themes discussed in these groups included participants' perceptions of the usefulness of devices and sensors in health-related issues such as preventing or detecting falls, assisting with visual or hearing impairments, improving mobility, reducing isolation, managing medications, and monitoring of physiological parameters. The audiotapes were transcribed and a content analysis was performed.
All participants had an overall positive attitude towards devices and sensors that can be installed in their homes in order to enhance their lives. Key Words: smart homes; telemedicine; usability; elder care Demiris, G., Rantz, M.J., Aud, M.A., Marek, K.D., Tyrer, H.W., Skubic, M., & Hussam, A.A. (2004). Older adults' attitudes towards and perceptions of "smart house" technologies. Medical Informatics and the Internet in Medicine, 29(2): 87-94. |