Abstract
Smart technology supports aging in place; however, little is known regarding the landscape of use and the associated cognitive load for these devices for the Baby Boomer and Gen X generations when making recommendations in home modification practice.
Primary Author and Speaker: Monique Chabot
Contributing Authors: Kihong Ku, Loukia Tsafoulia, Tod Corlett, Catherine Verrier Piersol
Smart technology (ST) supports aging in place, however, current research focuses on older generations and does not consider cognition (Ma et al., 2021). Many factors influence ST adoption: age, self-efficacy, and device usefulness and ease of use (Chen & Lou, 2020). Older adults are more sensitive to cognitive load when doing daily tasks, impacting safety (Wesson & Giles, 2019). The next generations of older adults have a different level of acceptance and skill with ST, which requires examination before proactively planning for aging in place (Chee, 2023). A quantitative descriptive study was conducted to establish a new baseline ST use. Inclusion criteria was being born between 1946 and 1968, living in an independent living situation for at least four months, and reading and speaking English. Recruitment used social media, flyers in local medical offices, and mailings to housing non-profits with aging in place programs. The survey collected demographics, comfort and ability to use ST, current use of ST, location of and reasons for use, helpfulness, and cognitive load to learn and use now. If not used, the reason for not doing so and interest in devices were asked. Descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and Wilcoxon Rank sums were run. Most participants (n=129) identified as white female Baby Boomers living in a single-family home. Most use ST (72%) with a high level of comfort (7.72/10) and ability (7.89/10). Televisions, smart speakers, and thermostats were most used. All devices had low cognitive load. No statistically significant relationship was found between age and comfort, ability, or devices. Most devices showed a statistically significant difference in cognitive load. The data shows a different landscape of ST use by upcoming older adults while challenging beliefs its use. Within aging in place home modification practice, it supports smart technology as viable intervention that will have a minimal effect on functional cognition in the home environment.
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Chen, K., & Lou, V. W. Q. (2020). Measuring senior technology acceptance: Development of a brief, 14-item scale. Innovation in Aging, 4(3), igaa016. https://doi.org/10.1093/geroni/igaa016
Ma, C., Guerra-Santin, O., & Mohammadi, M. (2021). Smart home modification design strategies for ageing in place: A systematic review. Journal of Housing and the Built Environment. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10901-021-09888-z
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