Early experiences and views of older adults living with sensing technology at home: A qualitative study

Background:

The global population is ageing at a rapid pace, raising new challenges for maintaining independence and quality of life in later years. Technology has the potential to act as a buffer, supporting successful ageing in place. Among these, unobtrusive sensing technologies are emerging as transformative tools that can monitor and detect deviations in Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) in a non-invasive manner

Objective:

This study explored older adults’ perceptions and lived experiences of sensing technologies integrated into their home environments. Using semi-structured interviews and in-home observations, we examined how older individuals interacted with motion, magnetic, and physiological sensors embedded in their everyday routines.

Methods:

Fourteen adults aged 60+ across 12 diverse socioeconomic households in Edinburgh and surrounding areas participated, contributing 27 interviews conducted both before and after installation. Participants logged their ADLs using either a digital app or a paper diary. Sensors were generally accepted and integrated seamlessly into daily life

Results:

Initial apprehensions about complexity diminished once participants experienced the discreet and passive design, highlighting the importance of unobtrusiveness for older populations. Personalisation of sensor placement and feedback emerged as important, emphasising the need to engage older adults in co-design. While paper-based diaries proved burdensome for some, the introduction of a digital version, shaped by participant feedback, streamlined the process and fostered greater awareness of daily routines, occasionally leading to small behavioural adjustments. Participants valued the potential of sensors for enhancing safety (e.g., fall detection) and supporting independence, and expressed comfort with data collection for research when it was clearly explained and purposeful.

Conclusions:

This study contributes new insights and to the new research methodologies into the lived experience of older adults with sensing technologies installed directly in their own homes. By addressing a gap in the literature, it provides evidence to inform future research, design, and policy for supporting ageing in place.