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Smart home technology to support older people's quality of life: A longitudinal pilot study
Author(s) -
Aggar Christina,
Sorwar Golam,
Seton Carolyn,
Penman Olivia,
Ward Anastasia
Publication year - 2023
Publication title -
international journal of older people nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.707
H-Index - 29
eISSN - 1748-3743
pISSN - 1748-3735
DOI - 10.1111/opn.12489
Subject(s) - quality of life (healthcare) , gerontology , home automation , psychology , test (biology) , medicine , applied psychology , computer science , nursing , telecommunications , paleontology , biology
Aim This pilot study aimed to explore the impact of Smart Home technology to support older people’s quality of life, particularly for those who live alone. Background There has been an increased interest in using innovative technologies and artificial intelligence to enable Smart Home technology to support older people to age independently in their own homes. Methods This study used a pre‐and post‐test design. The seven item Personal Wellbeing Index was used to measure participants’ subjective quality of life across seven quality of life domains. Participants ( n = 60) aged between 68 and 90 years ( M = 80.10, SD = 5.56) completed a 12‐week personalised Smart Home technology program. Results Approximately half of the participants lived alone (48.3%). Participants’ quality of life significantly increased ( p = 0.010) after Smart Home use. Two domains, “achieving in life” ( p = 0.026) and “future security” ( p = 0.004), were also significantly improved after participating in the Smart Home technology program. Improvements in quality of life did not vary as a function of living arrangement (all p s > .152, all η p 2 > .00). Conclusion The current study provides preliminary evidence for the role of Smart Home technology in supporting older people’s quality of life, particularly their sense of achieving in life and future security.