How Smart Home Technology Can Help Ageing

What Is Ageing in Place?

Ageing in place refers to individuals remaining in their homes as they age, rather than moving into assisted living facilities, care homes or with family members. It involves making the necessary adjustments to help people maintain independence and the familiarity of home.

Living in Place vs Ageing in Place

The term living in place is sometimes used interchangeably with ageing in place. The main difference is that living in place is not age-specific.

Living in place includes people of all ages who want to stay in their homes but need adjustments that will make day-to-day living compatible with their health conditions or disabilities.

While disabilities and ill health can occur at any age, some mobility and health challenges become increasingly common in older adults. Setting up smart home tech to help ageing in place can be part of future-proofing your home, ensuring you can continue to enjoy your home in retirement if you develop age-related conditions.

How Smart Home Technology Enables Ageing at Home

There are many ways you can use smart home technology to increase accessibility, which can help make ageing in place achievable. For example, screen readers, hands-free voice activation and automated temperature control can all make people’s lives easier as they age.

Setting up tech with accessibility in mind can transform the experience of growing older at home. Integrating connected devices offers convenience, safety and peace of mind for individuals and their caregivers.

Smart Devices That Support Independent Living

Some of the key smart home devices that support living in place include:

1. Voice-controlled Assistants

Voice-controlled smart devices are great for people with limited mobility. With voice control, users can control lights, heating or entertainment without having to reach a switch. You can even set up a ‘Call for help’ command on a voice assistant so that you can call for help without a phone.

2. Smart Lighting

Motion-activated lights can prevent trips and falls – especially at night. If you get out of bed, you can program the lighting to automatically turn on so that you don’t have to wander in the dark.

Automated routines can also help here, too. For example, you can programme your lights to turn on around your usual waking time so that your room is safely lit (even if you have blackout blinds to aid sleep).

3. Smart Sensors and Alerts

You can use smart sensors on doors, appliances or medication cabinets to alert your caregivers if something seems out of the ordinary. For example, if you don’t open your medicine cabinet as usual, your caregiver will receive an alert and check if you’ve missed any doses. 

You can also use smart sensors to trigger alerts and automation that allow you to maintain your independence. So, if you accidentally leave your front door open for too long, you can receive a phone alert that reminds you to close it. If you don’t close it, it could then alert someone to check you’re OK – just in case you’ve fallen when leaving your house.

Smart sensors like the above examples support subtle monitoring. They won’t interfere with your life, but they’ll reduce worries for you and those around you.

4. Smart Medication Dispensers

Automated pill dispensers can help manage complex prescriptions. They’re particularly useful for those who need to take medication at the same time every day.

By using an automated pill dispenser, you’re less likely to miss a dose. You can also set it up so that it notifies you or someone else if you don’t take your medication as planned.

5. Video Doorbells and Cameras

With a video doorbell, you can see who’s at the door and speak to them without having to open your home to strangers – improving security.

Plus, safety cameras make it easy for loved ones to check in on you remotely. While it’s understandable that everyone wants privacy, indoor surveillance can help people live independently for longer. For example, if you combine fall detection devices with cameras, your family or caregivers can check the camera to see if you’re alright. If it’s a false alarm, you can get on with your day without disturbance. If you need help, somebody will know you need it. Without home monitoring, some people may have to move into a round-the-clock care setting sooner than they otherwise would.

Safety First: Smart Security for Ageing in Place

You can use smart home technology to make your home a safer place.

For example, you can use smart locks to protect your home from intruders. A smart locking system that automatically secures doors is beneficial for those with memory problems. It’s also reassuring to be able to check that your home is locked when you’re not there, which is possible thanks to remote control.

You can set up a smoke detector to alert you or someone else of a fire via a mobile phone, meaning you’ll still know of an issue if nobody’s home. You can also configure smoke detectors to alert emergency services if you don’t turn off the alarm – protecting you and your property if you haven’t heard the alarm or are in danger.

Water leak sensors also protect your home and increase safety. They send alerts about a leak as soon as it starts so that you can address the problem while it’s still small. If you don’t know about a leak until later, you could have severe water damage or a flood. A water sensor under the sink or near a boiler will notify you or a family member of a potential leak long before it becomes a major issue that could force you out of your home.

Fall detection devices offer another form of protection. While a detection device won’t stop a fall, it will help you get attention quickly. If you fall, it will notify your chosen contact.

Supporting Family Caregivers Through Smart Technology

Smart home systems are beneficial to family members with caring responsibilities. With remote access and real-time alerts, a family caregiver can respond to issues without needing to be physically present. Those ageing in place can keep their independence while their carers can check everything’s OK from a distance.

Examples of smart technology that benefit family caregivers and help people age in place include:

• Automated door locks that you can control remotely – Great in case anyone accidentally leaves the door unlocked.
• Scheduled wellness check-ins via a voice assistant – Using a neutral device to check someone has taken their medication and is feeling OK avoids the potential awkwardness of a family member feeling that they're being overbearing. 
• Indoor cameras – With everyone’s consent, surveillance cameras with remote viewing capabilities improve safety monitoring. A family caregiver doesn’t have to be in the same room to check that everything’s OK.

Why Use a Professional Integrator Instead of DIY

While you can buy smart home technology devices off the shelf, it’s not easy to create an integrated system as a DIYer.

Using smart tech for ageing at home requires a complex set-up, so it’s worth investing in the cost of a professional’s labour and expertise. A professional will help you get the most out of a system and adjust it to suit your needs.

A professionally integrated smart home solution will ensure:

• Seamless device coordination
• Strong security and data privacy
• Customisation to meet your accessibility requirements
• Less confusion for users by integrating multiple devices into one system

CEDIA-certified professionals design systems to match individual needs. They’ll make sure your lighting, climate control, security, voice automation and every other smart home element is configured exactly as you want.

Designing a Smart Home for Ageing in Place

No two people are the same. So, why would two smart homes be? The best smart homes are customised to match the wants and needs of the people living in them. While everyone’s requirements are different, there are some things you should always keep in mind when it comes to systems for ageing in place.

Some core considerations include:

• Minimising complexity in device use – The simpler the system, the better. It needs to be easy to use so that the technology is adopted and stays in use, even if anyone develops cognitive issues.
• Backup power for essential devices – Smart home systems for ageing at home need to be reliable. Having backup power keeps crucial safety systems, like fall detection, working during outages.
• Strong wired and Wi-Fi network and device connectivity – A strong signal and proper network integration will also minimise disruptions.
• Reducing screen reliance in favour of voice (in most cases) – While a professional should tailor a system to suit an individual’s needs, older smart home users will typically benefit from more voice controls and fewer screens. Voice activations are usually simpler to use than on-screen menus. Plus, they’re better for those with poor eyesight. However, those with hearing impairments may prefer visual screens if they cannot hear a voice assistant’s responses.

By working with a CEDIA-certified Smart Home Professional, you can trust that the technology will complement your lifestyle, not complicate it.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Living in Place

Smart home technology is constantly evolving. It’s come a long way since CEDIA was founded in 1989, and it continues to change.

The rise of AI and predictive technology is shaping the future of smart home technology and living in place. It’s likely that smart homes will move beyond reacting to needs and will start anticipating them.

For example:

• Fall prevention alerts based on movement patterns – Some wearable devices can detect unsteadiness. By combining wearables with fall prevention alerts, a family caregiver can receive a notification when somebody is moving differently than normal so that they can check in and potentially prevent a fall.
• Mood-responsive lighting or music – You can already programme smart lighting and speakers to turn on or off at certain times. You can also set them to react to triggers, such as voice commands or motion. But what if the triggers could be your mood? If AI understands how you’re feeling, your home could respond. For example, if it detects anger, it may change the lights and music to have a calming effect.
• Intelligent home health monitoring – Home health monitoring empowers people to monitor their health outside of medical environments. Examples of health devices include wearable electrochemical sensors that measure metabolites, electrolytes, and hormones, blood glucose monitors and pulse oximeters. A smart system can bring the information from different devices into one place, so that it’s easier to get a picture of overall health. Some devices can also advise of any warning signs and recommend medical intervention at an early stage.
• Flexible alerts that shift with your routine changes – AI-enabled smart homes will learn to adapt around your needs as they change. So, if you tend to get out of bed later in the winter, your smart home could gradually push back the automated morning lights routine.

While technological innovations continue to move smart technology forward, the goal for using it for ageing at home is always the same: safer and happier independent living.

Empowering Ageing with Smart Home Technology

When it comes to ageing at home, smart technology is about more than convenience – it’s a lifeline.

When personalised to suit an individual’s needs and expertly installed by a professional, a smart home system can allow people to maintain dignity, safety and independence within their own homes.

Whether you're looking for a solution for yourself or caring for a loved one, investing in smart tech is an investment in peace of mind. If you’re interested in creating a smart home for ageing in place, find a CEDIA-certified Smart Home Professional in your area.