Older Adults’ Perspectives of Smart Technologies to Support Aging at Home: Insights from Five World Café Forums

Jackie Street, Helen Barrie, Jaklin Eliott, Lucy Carolan, Fidelma McCorry, Andreas Cebulla, Lyn Phillipson, Kathleen Prokopovich, Scott Hanson-Easey, Teresa Burgess and on behalf of the Smart Ageing Research Group
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Jackie Street: School of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Level 4, Rundle Mall Plaza, 50 Rundle Mall, Adelaide 5000, Australia
Helen Barrie: Centre for Markets, Values and Inclusion, UniSA City West Campus, University of South Australia, Way Lee Building, Adelaide 2072, Australia
Jaklin Eliott: School of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Level 4, Rundle Mall Plaza, 50 Rundle Mall, Adelaide 5000, Australia
Lucy Carolan: Australian Centre for Engagement, Evidence and Values, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong 2522, Australia
Fidelma McCorry: Centre of Research Excellence in Translating Nutritional Science to Good Health, University of Adelaide, Level 5, Adelaide Health & Medical Sciences Building, Adelaide 5005, Australia
Andreas Cebulla: Australian Industrial Transformation Institute, College of Business, Government and Law, Flinders University, Adelaide 5001, Australia
Lyn Phillipson: Faculty of the Arts, Social Science and Humanities, University of Wollongong, Wollongong 2522, Australia
Kathleen Prokopovich: Australian Centre for Engagement, Evidence and Values, University of Wollongong, Northfields Ave, Wollongong 2522, Australia
Scott Hanson-Easey: School of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Level 4, Rundle Mall Plaza, 50 Rundle Mall, Adelaide 5000, Australia
Teresa Burgess: School of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, Level 4, Rundle Mall Plaza, 50 Rundle Mall, Adelaide 5000, Australia
on behalf of the Smart Ageing Research Group: Membership of the Smart Ageing Research Group is provided in the Acknowledgements.

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 13, 1-21

Abstract: Globally, there is an urgent need for solutions that can support our aging populations to live well and reduce the associated economic, social and health burdens. Implementing smart technologies within homes and communities may assist people to live well and ‘age in place’. To date, there has been little consultation with older Australians addressing either the perceived benefits, or the potential social and ethical challenges associated with smart technology use. To address this, we conducted five World Cafés in two Australian states, aiming to capture citizen knowledge about the possibilities and challenges of smart technologies. The participants ( n = 84) were aged 55 years and over, English-speaking, and living independently. Grounding our analysis in values-based social science and biomedical ethical principles, we identified the themes reflecting the participants’ understanding, resistance, and acceptance of smart technologies, and the ethical principles, including beneficence, non-maleficence, autonomy, privacy, confidentiality, and justice. Similar to other studies, many of the participants demonstrated cautious and conditional acceptance of smart technologies, while identifying concerns about social isolation, breaches of privacy and confidentiality, surveillance, and stigmatization. Attention to understanding and incorporating the values of older citizens will be important for the acceptance and effectiveness of smart technologies for supporting independent and full lives for older citizens.

Keywords: artificial intelligence; digital health; smart technologies; gerontechnology; aging in place; older adults; smart home; autonomous vehicles; robotic technologies; smart wearables (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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