Ambient Assisted Living technologies from the perspectives of older people and professionals

TL;DR

This paper explores the perspectives of older people and caregivers on Ambient Assisted Living technologies, highlighting the gap between technological development and user acceptance in nursing homes.

Contribution

It provides qualitative insights into the needs and attitudes of older residents and caregivers towards AAL technologies in nursing home settings.

Findings

Older people and caregivers have specific needs that current AAL systems do not fully address.

There is a reluctance among older residents to adopt assistive technologies.

Development of AAL should focus more on user requirements and acceptance.

Abstract

Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) and Ambient Intelligence technologies are providing support to older people in living an independent and confident life by developing innovative ICT-based products, services, and systems. Despite significant advancement in AAL technologies and smart systems, they have still not found the way into the nursing home of the older people. The reasons are manifold. On one hand, the development of such systems lack in addressing the requirements of the older people and caregivers of the organization and the other is the unwillingness of the older people to make use of assistive systems. A qualitative study was performed at a nursing home to understand the needs and requirements of the residents and caregivers and their perspectives about the existing AAL technologies.