IoT/Sensor-Based Infrastructures Promoting a Sense of Home, Independent Living, Comfort and Wellness

Abstract

This paper presents the results of three interrelated studies concerning the specification and implementation of ambient assisted living (AAL)/Internet of Things (IoT)/sensor-based infrastructures, to support resident wellness and person-centered care delivery, in a residential care context. Overall, the paper reports on the emerging wellness management concept and IoT solution. The three studies adopt a stakeholder evaluation approach to requirements elicitation and solution design. Human factors research combines several qualitative human–machine interaction (HMI) design frameworks/methods, including realist ethnography, process mapping, persona-based design, and participatory design. Software development activities are underpinned by SCRUM/AGILE frameworks. Three structuring principles underpin the resident’s lived experience and the proposed ‘sensing’ framework. This includes (1) resident wellness, (2) the resident’s environment (i.e., room and broader social spaces which constitute ‘home’ for the resident), and (3) care delivery. The promotion of resident wellness, autonomy, quality of life and social participation depends on adequate monitoring and evaluation of information pertaining to (1), (2) and (3). Furthermore, the application of ambient assisted living technology in a residential setting depends on a clear definition of related care delivery processes and allied social and interpersonal communications. It is argued that independence (and quality of life for older adults) is linked to technology that enables interdependence, and specifically technology that supports social communication between key roles including residents, caregivers, and family members.

Supporting Healthy Aging through the Scale-Up, Spread, and Sustainability of Assistive Technology Implementation: A Rapid Realist Review of Participatory Co-Design for Assistive Technology with Older Adults

“…Engagement is the overall strategy that is meant to: (1) “empower” social participation (Lopes et al, 2016); (2) address lack of sustainability (Zamir et al, 2018); (3) improve self-determination (Dupuy et al, 2016); (4) manage issues of consent, privacy, and human contact (Cahill et al, 2019); and, (5) respect the rights, dignity, and autonomy of older adults (Cahill et al, 2018). The question then becomes, what are the key mechanisms that underlie successful engagement of older adults in AT design and implementation?…”

7. Verdighet innen e-helse og velferdsteknologi i kommunehelsetjenesten – en litteraturstudie

“…Fra samme søket fant vi en annen studie med semistrukturerte telefonintervju blant 77 pasienter og 26 leger (Mostofsky et al, 2019). Fra VFT-søket fant vi Cahill et al (2019), som presenterer resultat fra tre delstudier med produktutvikling og testing av sensorbasert infrastruktur. Her ble både observasjoner, workshops, intervju og spørreskjema benyttet.…”

Physiological and Behavior Monitoring Systems for Smart Healthcare Environments: A Review

“…Real-time monitoring can be used to prevent many medical emergencies, such as heart failure, asthma attacks, among others. The option to live in their own home while benefiting of such services is a great necessity for the elderly, as verified by Cahill et al [8]. The authors conducted a study to identify the requirements of elderly people and other stakeholders (i.e., nurse, family and career) when considering the deployment of an assisted living environment.…”