Unobtrusive In-Home Monitoring of Cognitive and Physical Health: Reactions and Perceptions of Older Adults

Abstract

While the potential benefits of unobtrusive in-home sensing technologies for maintaining health and independence of older adults have been highlighted in recent research, little is known about their views toward such technology. The aims of this project were to identify monitoring needs and expectations of community-residing elderly and their family members. Focus groups were presented with examples of in-home monitoring devices and data output; participants were asked to consider whether the data showed information that was meaningful to them, and how and to whom they would like to have such data disseminated. Content analysis of transcripts revealed four dominant themes: maintaining independence, detecting cognitive decline, sharing of information, and the tradeoff between privacy and usefulness of monitoring. The acceptance by elderly of unobtrusive in-home monitoring was closely tied to perceived utility of data generated by such systems. Privacy concerns appeared to be less of an issue than anticipated in this sample.

How In-Home Technologies Mediate Caregiving Relationships in Later Life

“…Quite naturally, older adults who did not grow up with technology are concerned about the role and function of unfamiliar blinking boxes in their homes. In our work and in other studies (Beach et al, 2008;Wild, Boise, Lundell, & Foucek, 2008) older adults generally report concerns about the effects of the technologies on caregiving relationships in addition to concerns about the technologies themselves.…”

“…While much of our earlier work and the work of others (Beach et al, 2008;Wild, Boise, Lundell, & Foucek, 2008) suggests that older adults are unconcerned about privacy, findings are limited by one-time, shortterm interaction with the technologies. Surveys and focus groups ask participants for their impressions about in-home technologies after a brief laboratory exposure to a Wizard-of-Oz scenario or, at best, a brief interaction with an actual device.…”

“…A small number of studies, including our early work with focus groups and surveys, have investigated older adults' concerns about in-home monitoring technologies (Beach et al, 2008;Kwasny, Caine, Rogers, & Fisk, 2008;Wild, Boise, Lundell, & Foucek, 2008;Lorenzen-Huber et al, 2010;Caine et al, 2011;Shankar, Camp, Connelly, & Huber, in press). While older adults are concerned about perceived usefulness and privacy (Kwasny, Caine, Rogers, & Fisk, 2008), these findings suggest that many of older adults' concerns about monitoring technologies are focused on the effect of these technologies on key social relationships.…”

Risk Communication Design: Video vs. Text

“…Much has been said about younger adults, their use of social media, and their disregard for privacy. But older adults may (or may not) be very different in their privacy preferences [31] and in fact may be more likely to engage in risky behavior [51].…”

An exploration of the needs and concerns of potential Ambient Assisted Living users within the context of the meaning of home

“…One understudied component of these emerging technologies is concerned with the perspective of the individuals for whom this technology is being developed (Sixsmith & Sixsmith, 2000;Wild, Boise, Lundell, & Foucek, 2008). At present an AAL home monitoring system has yet to be developed beyond the prototype phase.…”