Older Adult Segmentation According to Residentially-Based Lifestyles and Analysis of Their Needs for Smart Home Functions

A theoretical framework based on the needs of smart aged care for Chinese community-dwelling older adults: A grounded theory study

PURPOSE

With technological progress, the integration of aged care with technology is a new challenge. This study developed a theoretical model of smart aged care in the community to meet the diverse needs of community-dwelling older adults.

METHODS

This qualitative study recruited 22 participants from three communities in Chongqing, China. Through semi-structured interviews and grounded theory, this study analyzed the needs of community-dwelling older adults for smart aged care and identified strategies.

RESULTS

Nine categories were identified, including five need categories, three important factors, and one outcome objective. Furthermore, four health provider topics were proposed.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the application of information technology has enhanced convenience and possibilities, its popularity and satisfaction are low. Information technology can be successfully introduced into the lives of community-dwelling older adults only by truly understanding their needs.

IMPLICATIONS OF NURSING PRACTICE

Smart aged care in the community has positive effects on nursing outcomes for older adults. This study's findings can help caregivers understand the various dimensions of the needs of community-dwelling older adults and relevant influencing factors under smart aged care to increase its popularity and satisfaction. Furthermore, this can promote the integration of intelligent technology and manual services in nursing practice.

The willingness and influencing factors to choose smart senior care among old adults in China

Background

Population aging has become an escalating issue in China resulting in increasing healthcare demand. Smart senior care has the potential to help older adults live independently and relieve the pressure of healthcare including home-based care. This study aimed to explore Chinese older adults’ preferred access models and service content of smart senior care and factors affecting their willingness to choose smart senior care.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 760 community-dwelling older adults from Xuzhou, China were included in this study. Their demographics, family support, health status, smart senior care use, and willingness to choose smart senior care were collected. The Chi-square test was used for single factor analysis of each variable. The statistically significant variables were included in the logistics regression model to analyze factors influencing older adults’ willingness to choose smart senior care. The chi-square goodness of fit test was used to analyze the preferred content and access models of smart senior care; the Bonferroni method was used to correct the results.

Results

The finding indicated that participants’ age, number of children, frequency of children visiting parents, adequate senior care, self-reported health, chronic diseases, smartphone use, and attitude toward smart senior care were significantly associated with their willingness to choose the smart senior care (p < 0.05). For smart senior care access models, participants preferred the remote monitoring model, telephone call model, and the community site model over the health smart home model and the smart application platform model. There was no statistical difference among these three preferred access models (p’ > 0.005). Regarding service content, participants desired medical care service the most (p’ < 0.005).

Conclusions

Chinese older adults’ willingness to choose smart senior care is affected by personal, family, health, and other factors. To develop China’s senior care, we should consider their demand and preference for smart senior care. It is important to enrich the content of smart senior care, especially on medical care services, and maintain the dynamic balance between supply and demand using a diverse supply approach.

Global Research Trends on Smart Homes for Older Adults: Bibliometric and Scientometric Analyses

A growing aging population across the world signifies the importance of smart homes equipped with appropriate technology for the safety and health of older adults. Well-designed smart homes can increase the desire of older adults' aging-in-place and bring economic benefits to the country by reducing budgets for care providers. To obtain a structural overview and provide significant insights into the characteristics of smart homes for older adults, this study conducted bibliometric and scientometric analyses. We used the Web of Science Core Collection database, searching for keywords "smart home*", "home automation", or "domotics" with terms related to older adults, resulting in a total of 1408 documents. VOSviewer software was used to map and visualize the documents. The results showed that research on smart homes for older adults began appearing from 1997 and increased steadily, peaking from 2015. The main research areas were technical engineering fields, such as computer science and engineering, telecommunications with minimal research in humanities, social sciences, and design, indicating the necessity to expand research toward a human-centered perspective, age-friendly technology, and convergence study.

Is long-term care a building or a societal moral philosophy?

The number of Older Adults (OA) in Ontario will double in two decades. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated that the model of subsidized Long-Term Care (LTC) homes does not reflect the care needs of OAs. Many nations have implemented LTC models as a continuum of care for OAs promoting independent home/community living. These models help delay admission to LTC homes and achieve a higher quality-of-life for OAs. Current financial pressure on the healthcare system and inadequacies of LTC homes necessitate a broader social welfare policy. One viable option for sustainable LTC is implementing Ontario's mandatory public long-term care insurance policy.