Ambient intelligence for the elderly: hope to age respectfully?

Abstract

Ambient intelligence (AmI) is perceived as a tool that can provide innovative and cost-effective ways to support everyday living of elderly individuals by monitoring them in their homes, in healthcare centers and in their out-of-home activities. In contrast to previous surveys of AmI and its applications for various segments in society, this review, which is not intended to be exhaustive, focuses primarily on the possible uses of AmI for the elderly. This review defines the term of AmI and exemplifies some current applications of AmI in our lives, points out the reasons for developing AmI applications specifically for the elderly and offers insights to various research projects that aim to use AmI for the benefit of the elderly. Since user acceptance of AmI systems presents challenges in the process of developing and applying AmI technologies, this review also sheds light on the views of elderly individuals regarding the use of these technologies. Finally, following a section briefly reviewing the ethical issues related to AmI technologies as it pertains to the elderly, this review offers some recommendations for the further development and use of AmI in this population.