New and Emerging Issues for Technologies to Support Older Adults to Age in Place

There is increasing interest in using emerging technologies, such as social media, digital devices, and smart home technologies, to distribute information throughout an older person's formal and informal support networks to assist them to live independently in their own home (to age in place). An open research workshop was conducted as part of a health informatics conference, 24 self-selected participants were organised into sub-groups to discuss four generic questions relating to the collection and distribution of an older person's health information. Thematic analysis of the discussions identified three major themes relating to roles and responsibilities of stakeholders, information collection and interpretation, system management and control. The findings emphasise the importance of taking a socio-technical perspective to understand the requirements of all stakeholder groups. A number of new and emerging research issues are identified, particularly in relating to the long-term management and adaptation of personal support networks and technologies.