Smart Homes for Health: Promises and Concerns for Aging Societies

Abstract

Objectives: In aging or aged societies, smart homes for health provide an option for older people to age with dignity and independence, while imposing minimal additional responsibilities on others. The goal of this paper is to review two major concerns related to smart homes to which policymakers should pay attention. Methods: This paper reviews extant research on the current state of related new technologies and analyzes potential problems based on literature on data privacy and equity. Results: First, smart homes face privacy violation risks because they provide sensitive personal information to various entities. Second, because smart homes are relatively costly to build and maintain, they are more likely to be available to a limited segment of the population. Discussion: Since many countries are currently introducing smart homes, proper policies need to be devised in order to prevent these negative consequences.