Distinct lifestyles, not chronological age, dictate how older adults accept and use smart home technologies for aging-in-place, a recent survey study suggests. For the study, researchers from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid surveyed older adults across Spain, focusing on residentially based lifestyles – that is, a combination of daily habits, living environments, and social engagement levels.

The researchers identified distinct clusters within the older population, ranging from tech-ready urbanites to those in more traditional or isolated residential settings. A resident's daily routine and social connectivity were more significant indicators of smart home readiness than age. The perception of privacy and the perceived intrusiveness of sensors also varied significantly across different lifestyle groups.

The data indicate that segmenting the population based on lifestyle allows for more accurate predictions of technology utilization, and helps identify which innovations – e.g., fall detection, automated lighting, or social robots -- are most likely to be accepted by different groups.

The findings suggest that technology developers and policymakers may be missing the mark by treating older adults as a monolithic group, according to the authors. Technology for aging-in-place must be customized to specific lifestyle segments to avoid tech-abandonment. Successful aging-in-place depends not just on the sophistication of the hardware, but on how well the technology integrates into the existing social and daily habits of the resident.

To download the full study, published in JMIR Aging, click here.