Future changes to smart home based on AAL healthcare service

Figures & data

Figure 1. Aged population growth rate (65 years old or older) %, (Korean statistical information service 2018).

Figure 2. 3 factors of active aging.

Figure 3. Examples diagram of smart home.

Figure 4. Example diagram of daily healthcare devices.

Figure 5. Example diagram of AAL healthcare platform.

Table 1. Summary of elderly’s characteristics.

Classification		Summary
Operators	Fitness	Skeletal muscle, memory, weakened eyesight (blurry, less peripheral vision, difficult distinction of color and chroma), auditory sense, tactile sense, weak skin (abrasion, laceration, contusion).
	Psychology	Anger, loss, less patience, psychological atrophy due to desensitization, tendency of dependence due to weakness, tendency to resolve immediate desire
	Activity	Early morning activities such as sauna, (institution) food, medical, and exercise service in the communal area are preferred
	Communication	Desire for social interaction to palliate sense of loneliness, but simultaneous desire to avoid communal activities.
Residents	Rising/Bedtime	Average 6 hours of sleep from around 11 pm. Mealtime is faster than other age groups.
	Housekeeping	Heavy lifting or physically challenging house chores are done by housekeeping service or family members.
	Leisure	Exercising, reading, watching TV is usual. All responded around 1 to 3 hours per day of exercise. Health management is vital. Outdoor activities (such as hiking and traveling) and indoor activities (such as watching TV and reading) are frequent for health management.
	TV Program Hour/Location	Living room and bedroom are predominant. They watch 1 to 3 hours of TV daily for news, religious, sports, or other programs. Especially interested in healthcare programs.
	Predominant Activity/Space	Mostly spend time in the home for avocation or physical training. Based on their health condition, those activities can be mainly for treatment. Exercise and watch TV in living room. Reading books in either reading room or bedroom. High dependency in bathroom due to physical impediment.
	IT System Requirement	Currently, silver towns provide emergency call, movement detection sensor, and other services with great satisfaction. However, subjects have a hard time using the wall pad.
	Silver Town Pros and Cons	Many responded that services, food, amenities, and natural environment are advantages. However, they expressed difficulty socializing, lack of transportation system, and limited choice of food.
	The Necessity of Healthcare Service	Except few who have a hard time with high-tech devices, many show interest in buying healthcare devices. Primarily food and health management and overall daily life support of healthcare services are wanted.

Table 2. AAL exemplar cases for each residential space.

Room	Category	Function	AAL planning cases
Bedroom	Physical	Deep sleep	Motion bed control with recognition of posture and pattern for deep sleep Embedded sleep checker device for healthcare monitoring
		Environment	Control devices such as window, air purifier, air conditioner, lights and curtain
		Accident prevention	Foot-level, indirect guiding lights to prevent glare at dawn or night -> Beginning daily routine early morning
	Mental	Social activity	System for interactive conversation at detection of long, silent activity
		Deep sleep	Assisting deep sleep with comfortable lighting and music in case of insomnia
		Correct posture	A sensor embedded in the chair is calibrated to unhealthful position while reading and detects when to move
	Social	Accident prevention	Rescue call in detection of unusual physical information eg, make an emergency call if a physical anomaly appears, and contact family if psychological anxiety is detected
Living Room	Physical	Indoor activity	Promote activity with alarm and video in response to insufficient movement
		Medication notification	Notification of important medication type and time with voice and lighting
		Daylight control	Automatic curtain adjustment for sufficient solar radiation during daylight
		Observing Scenery	Open curtains and alarms for periodical observation of outside scenes for eye health
	Mental	Dementia prevention	Interactive communication support system for regular brain activity
		Comfortability	Adjustment of lighting, music, and display for relaxed emotions
	Social	Indoor activity	Promotion of active social engagements through remote telecommuting service
		Accident prevention	Rescue call by emergency detection through signals from floor, voice, and camera
		Social activity	Exchange of memories, information, and knowledge with family members who are allowed private exposure
Bathroom	Physical	Body management	Measure of daily health status with feces examination and body composition analysis
		Correct posture	Adjustment of washbasin height according to stature to relieve back pain Infrared distance sensor records daily body shape and detects abnormal changes
		Health therapy	Smart bathtub for underwater exercise and water massage
	Mental	Water temperature	Check water temperature by color without touching (prevention of secondary accident)
		Relaxation	Smart bathtub for half-bath treatment
	Social	Accident prevention	Rescue call for a slip accident in the bathroom
Kitchen	Physical	Ventilation	Ventilation with automatic window opening and fan operation in case of air contamination while cooking Conversely, when outdoor air quality is low, the air cleaner filters the room air.
		Nutrition management	Display suggests proper diet and recipes according to nutritional status
		Correct posture	Adjustment of countertop and sink height according to stature to relieve back pain
	Social	Social activity	Communication system for cooking methods and expertise through social media
Entrance	Physical	Correct posture	Motion chair for posture correction in wearing and taking off shoes
		Accident prevention	Shutoff for gas, water, electric heater, and security system at the entrance door
	Mental	Necessary item check	Check necessary items such as a hearing aid, mobile phone, or car key
	Social	Outdoor activity	Share information of outdoor activities for the elderly
Corridor	Physical	Correct posture	Step and posture correction with regular gait measurements
	Mental	Relaxation	Relaxation with lighting and sound during movement
	Social	Social activity	Reduced need for privacy allowing for social activities: games, conversation, etc.

Korean statistical information service. 2018. “Population and Elderly Statistics.” Accessed 14 Jun 2018. http://kosis.kr/

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