1 School of Civil Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, China.
2 School of Computer, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei, Anhui, China.
HERD. 2019 Jul;12(3):206-219. doi: 10.1177/1937586719826059. Epub 2019 Feb 5.
This article reports on a pilot study of a smart home for elders (SHfE) designed to continuously monitor senior adults' daily behaviors and the living environment of their residential homes using the application of unobtrusive sensors. SHfE users include older adults, their family members, and healthcare staff.
Globally, countries are experiencing the challenges of an increasingly aging population. A healthy environment is essential to support aging in place. By applying information and communications technology to building environments to support health, smart homes may be an option to provide a low-cost, comfortable, and user-friendly living environment for older adults.
A pilot study was conducted in a capital city in the Yangtze River Delta Agglomerations in China to verify the feasibility of the SHfE. One female older adult participated in the pilot study, which was conducted from November 2015 to January 2016.
The results indicated that the SHfE is a feasible way to analyze the behaviors (e.g., sleeping, cooking, water usage) of the elder and monitor the built environment (e.g., temperature, windows, and doors).
The pilot study can be used as a baseline for further comprehensive experiments, case studies, and surveys to gain a better understanding of a smart healthy environment for older adults. On the basis of the current study, several recommendations are put forward for further implementation of the SHfE, including integrating multiple unobtrusive sensing devices; detecting fall accidents; monitoring indoor lighting, noise, and ventilation; remotely controlling electrical appliances; and developing the system with various languages. It is anticipated that the SHfE will be adopted in seniors' residential homes in countries around the world which face an increasingly aging population.
本研究报告了一项针对老年人智能家居（SHfE）的试点研究，该研究旨在使用非侵入式传感器的应用来持续监测老年人的日常行为和居住环境。SHfE 的使用者包括老年人、他们的家庭成员和医护人员。
在全球范围内，各国都面临着人口老龄化日益加剧的挑战。健康的环境对于支持老年人在家中安度晚年至关重要。通过将信息和通信技术应用于建筑环境以支持健康，智能家居可能是为老年人提供低成本、舒适且用户友好的居住环境的一种选择。
在中国长江三角洲城市群的一个省会城市进行了一项试点研究，以验证 SHfE 的可行性。一名女性老年人参与了试点研究，研究于 2015 年 11 月至 2016 年 1 月进行。
结果表明，SHfE 是分析老年人行为（如睡眠、烹饪、用水）和监测建筑环境（如温度、窗户和门）的可行方法。
试点研究可以作为进一步全面实验、案例研究和调查的基线，以更好地了解老年人的智能健康环境。基于当前的研究，提出了进一步实施 SHfE 的几项建议，包括集成多个非侵入式传感设备；检测跌倒事故；监测室内照明、噪声和通风；远程控制电器；以及用各种语言开发系统。预计 SHfE 将在全球面临人口老龄化日益加剧的国家的老年人养老院中得到采用。
