Advanced Technology for the Aged: Smart Homes - Literature review Example

LITERATURE REVIEW OUTLINE: SMART HOME FOR THE AGED By Location Table of contents Introduction 3 2. Literature look of the elderly’s needs and the technology for them, which is already in place 3 2.1 The elderly’s needs and their life situation. 3 2.2 The technology for the elderly, which is already in place. 5 2.3 Study and analyses of the elderly’s behaviors. 7 2.3.1 Things done to solve these problems. 8 2.3.2 Result of actions 9 3. International issues: How does UK needs differ from needs in China? 9 Bibliography 11 1. Introduction Population ageing is a hot topic that represents an inescapable outcome of transition of various demographic factors. Basically, ageing develops due to a decline in mortality and fertility of a population. At present, the topic on population ageing has attracted unusual attention in most countries, more so in the most developed regions. Both local and international media channels are continuously casting news stories on population ageing, providing a reliable basis for multinational groups to debate and discuss on its perceived effects. There are various illustrations internationally on how ageing has been perceived a critical issue that deserves much attention. In 2012, the World Health Organization dedicated the WHO day to ageing (Beard, et al., 2011, p. 4). Also, the EU designated the whole year to be one of active ageing and much solidarity between different generations (Beard, et al., 2011, p. 4). It is definite that the best solution to these ageing challenges may require the integration of innovation and technology in the health sector. The solution may require the use of home sensors, personal health records, health monitors, and smart phones that are designed to provide customized home care services (Dishman, 2014, p. 1). The literature review takes a critical look at the needs of the elderly, the technological devices at their disposal, and the integration of international issues affecting them. 2. Literature look of the elderly’s needs and the technology for them, which is already in place 2.1 The elderly’s needs and their life situation. According to (Little, 2005, p. 345) age does not just represent the biological functions of the number of years one has managed to live. Neither is age the physiological changes that one’s body goes through in the course of life. Age is a product of the norms and expectations ofthe society that are important in each stage of life. It is a clear representation of the rich life experiences one has gained and how these experiences shape personality. Even though the elderly play a critical role in the community, they often face a huge risk of being marginalized by the other members of society. Ideally, they always experience what is commonly termed as poverty and devaluation in society since they are no longer active in the labor market. Put in mind that a greater percentage of the ageing population always comes after retirement. Thus, they are very susceptible to the many fluctuations in the financial market, especially if their retirement plan was never effective. Changes in the financial market contribute immensely to the social insecurity of the ageing population regardless of how good their employment history was before (Little, 2005, p. 351). Such occurrences are very true especially in countries that thrive on an economy that keeps developing and transitioning in different measure. Such effects of retirement often cause them to feel apart from the other members of the society. They may even want to do something that is fruitful to the society, but often lack the strength or at times the understanding to fulfill their desires. In most cases, the elderly always need help from the other members of the society in order to find something they can do, or even learn something new they have never tried before (Little, 2005, p. 357). A more critical effect of retirement and old age is living in poor health conditions. Thus, the ageing population always needs much help and assistance in their daily life. (Factora, 2014, n.p) argues that maintenance of a healthy regimen among other preventive measures contribute much to high quality life among the elderly individuals. It is a better option to prevent the development of diseases among the elderly than waiting to initiate afterwards treatment when the situation is already worse and untreatable. Initiating curative measures when they are already ill is a late move that could threaten their life. Nonetheless, late curative initiatives decrease the quality of life of the elderly and could affect their behavior patterns immensely. There are several measures that can be put in place to support the ageing in the community. One such measure would be to provide funding in support of the community-based programs that aim at encouraging a healthy lifestyle among the ageing population. Another measure to encourage the prevention of development of disease among the ageing is to provide incentives and guidance to those in charge of the older population (Factora, 2014). Such measures are useful in helping the older generation enjoy a better quality of life. Incentives should increase the availability of opportunities that involve the provision of safe and regular physical activity, alternative modes of transport, and installation of alternative design features in their homes to increase self-dependency and easy movement without the need for help. 2.2 The technology for the elderly, which is already in place. Despite the threatening ageing population, we still have different types of modern medicine that we have to thank for the longevity displayed but a greater percentage of the older people. However, the long life portrayed by the ageing population only becomes useful when it is lived as independently as possible. According to (Mischke, 2011, n.p) one of the modern medical devices likely to offer solutions for independent operation is the wearable health device that allows the older population to gain more freedom as they age. The wearable devices encourage the users to practice a healthier lifestyle as a measure to improve their health and fitness for a few more years. There are a few versions of these devices that are less complicated and suitable for the seniors. They provide a simple and unique mechanism to improve overall fitness, and can also be used to keep an overview of the activities engaged in daily. (Mischke, 2011) Also argues that some sensory applications worn by the ageing population can be useful in preventing the progression of minor ailments and can as well assist in solving emergency health issues. The commercialization of these wearable health devices marks a very important step towards dealing with the age care sector. The elderly are often affected by chronic diseases that require regular support that can be provided effectively by these wearable health devices. Without these devices, chronic diseases would necessitate the need for constant supervision that comes together with the loss of much freedom. At times, the wearable devices often combine devices containing glucose, and have the ability to monitor weight and blood pressure in equal measure (Mischke, 2011). Nonetheless, the devices can communicate directly with a smartphone of a health care provider to signal whenever an aging person is in danger. To sum up on the technological devices available for the elderly, there is also a complete ambient of solutions suitable for assisted living purposes. These devices are often worn on the body of the patient and can communicate directly with sensors that detect and analyze the health conditions of an elderly individual. A popular technological device used for the older population is the Hiris. The device is considered to be the first ever modular wearable computer that can be customized and expanded with much ease. The ageing population can use the device to communicate with their bodies to the external world surrounding them. Hiris serves as the connection point between the bodies of the ageing individual and connects the response received to the outdoor and indoor synergy of the home. Hiris and other smart objects in Smart Home Hackathon have been used to achieve Jemma ready objects that can lock and unlock the door, change the intensity of the light bulb, change the volume of electrical equipment, as well as switch on and alter the speed of a fan in the house. All these actions are made possible with the help of body gesture such as bump and rotation of the wrist. According to (Mischke, 2011) most of these technological products are integrated with multiple sensors that are integrated into networks consisting of body-worn and ambient sensors. Some of the devices need the gathered sensor and data from the body of the elderly to be uploaded and saved on a remote site in order for clinical analysis to be conducted much easily. Nevertheless, with the ability to carry out cloud-computing with much ease, there are many sensor systems that can be upgraded without the need for software installation in the devices used to monitor the data. Such capabilities make it easier and even cheaper to maintain a system of networks useful for monitoring the health condition of the ageing population. 2.3 Study and analyses of the elderly’s behaviors. Inadequate intake of food and fluids can cause dehydration and malnutrition among the elderly population (LM, et al., 2003, n.p). Even though a huge number of overweight people in society are the elderly, the major concern reported is usually the decline in food intake as well as the loss of motivation to eat. As a result, there is much presence of problems that are associated with the regulation of energy as well as the control of intake of food. The reduced intake of food causes an equivalent loss of body weight. The major contributors to poor eating habits among the elderly are loneliness due to social isolation and poverty issues. Depression emanating from the loss of important networks in an elderly’s social life contributes to the psychological problem resulting in loss of appetite. A sudden reduction in the intake of food can also be due to a lower need state that develops from the reduced drive to eat when in solitude. (LM, et al., 2003, n.p) argues that poor eating habits can also arise from potential inhibitory signals. In addition, physical factors attached to dentition and other changes associated with age can have an immense influence on food choice. Eventually, these changes can limit food choice among the elderly population. Nonetheless, medical conditions affecting the elderly such as chronic and acute infections, gastrointestinal diseases, and malabsorption syndromes can result in deficiencies in micronutrients, increased requirements for energy and protein, as well as anorexia. The elderly are also prone to using prescription medications that can eventually cause defects in the absorption of nutrients and loss of appetite. Reduction of physical energy is common while ageing but should be treated with much attention since it could be an effect of social, psychological, as well as physical problems. 2.3.1 Things done to solve these problems. The best solution to the reduced intake of food is ensuring that the elderly consume a balanced diet. A balanced diet ensures an adequate supply of energy and nutrients. The diet should contain favorable quantities of calories, fats, fiber, protein, carbohydrates, minerals, and vitamins. There is sufficient evidence that consumption of a poor diet can cause illness as well as premature death among the elderly. A balanced diet supplies different quantities of nutrients that deal with the different health conditions that are likely to lower the life of the elderly. Older people are likely to have too little of vitamin C, vitamin D, iron, folate, and zinc. Vitamin C is useful in preventing disease and supporting the growth of healthy bones, teeth, and skin. Therefore, the elderly should be fed with more of fruits, vegetables, fruit juices, and even potatoes. An additional mechanism for taking care of the dietary needs of the elderly would be to allow them go outside and experience the summer sunlight on their skin, or rather allow them take a vitamin D supplement to keep their bones strong. 2.3.2 Result of actions The above solutions together with the integration of technological devices in the nursing program are influential in stimulating independence among the ageing population. With the help of the wearable devices, it is much easier for nurses and family members of the aged to take care of them without necessary being available. Also, the elderly are obliged to keep within the precautionary measures in terms of dietary intake and other useful measures proposed for improved health performance. When the elderly feel they are being watched, then they will try as much as possible to keep up with their proposed dietary intake. 3. International issues: How does UK needs differ from needs in China? Even though a greater percentage of the people in the United Kingdom have adequate access to the Internet, there is still close to 10 million who do not have adequate knowledge of computer skills. Of the 10 million, about 4 million are socially and economically disadvantaged, including the elderly(UK, 2015). 1 in every 4 adults in the UK has never used technological devices, including the Internet. Furthermore, a third of the population in the UK does not have access to the Internet. Thus, the UK needs a lot of integration of computer skills among the elderly population if the wearable devices are to become effective in monitoring the aged. China’s record in the smart home industry is quite impressive and is expected to reach £36bn before 2020. Thus, about 90 percent of the old people living in China would prefer home-based care to the previous forms of care that were ineffective. It is the expectation of the China residents that the home-based care system will depict more humanity to the elderly. In China, there are various unique features of the largest healthcare system in Asia. To this effect, the total expenses of the Chinese government on health in 2012 increased immensely from the previous year to roughly 2.9 Trillion Yuan(China, 2010). Of all the expected changes in the economy, the expense on Internet connections in China is expected to exceed 1 Trillion Yuan. The vastness of the aged care industry in China also summarizes why the Chinese Insurance companies had invested about 50-60 Billion Yuan by the end of 2013. Such investments have the ability to take care of the over 200 million people over 60 years, categorized as the aged population. Such a category of the population often requires an immediate overhaul in the services and care provided to ensure adequate health and optimum performance. Typical families in China consist of 1 child, 2 parents, and 4 grandparents. Such statistics indicate why there is much need to develop a reliable health care program for the aged. Ideally, there is a few numbers of people in the younger generation who are able to provide adequate health care to the aged(Roberts, 2014). With the unrealistic doctor to patient ration of 2.8 doctors to every 1,000 people, it is never possible for the elderly to receive adequate health care services. In the rural areas, the ratio is worse at 0.95 doctors for every 1,000 people. Due to such reasons, more and more people are turning towards mobile health and medical devices that can make the monitoring aspect much easier. The market scale of mobile services in China is growing and will soon register much investment from other financial institutions. Bibliography Beard, J. R. et al., 2011. Global Population Ageing: Peril or Promise?, Geneva: World Economic Forum. China, 2010. Chinas Rapidly Aging Population. Todays Research on Aging, Issue 20, pp. 1-5. Dishman, E., 2014. The Role of Technology in an Aging Society: Summary of Four Conferences with Eric Dishman. Honolulu, Hawaii: s.n. Factora, R., 2014. Cleveland Clinic. [Online] Available at: http://www.clevelandclinicmeded.com/medicalpubs/diseasemanagement/preventive-medicine/aging-preventive-health/Default.htm [Accessed 6 June 2015]. Little, W., 2005. Aging and the elderly. In: Introduction to Sociology - 1st Canadian Edition. Canada: SAGE Publications, pp. 343-452. LM, D., C, S. & C, C., 2003. Eating habits and appetite control in the elderly: the anorexia of aging. International Psychology, 15(1), pp. 73-87. Mischke, J., 2011. Wearable-Technologies. [Online] Available at: http://www.wearable-technologies.com/2011/06/wt-for-an-aging-population/ [Accessed 6th June 2015]. Roberts, D., 2014. Chinas Rapidly Aging Population Drives $652 Billion Silver Hair Market. [Online] Available at: http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-09-25/chinas-rapidly-aging-population-drives-652-billion-silver-hair-market [Accessed 6 June 2015]. UK, 2015. 21st Century Challenges. [Online] Available at: http://www.21stcenturychallenges.org/60-seconds/what-is-the-digital-divide/ [Accessed 6 June 2015]. Read More