A Survey on Smart Homes for Aging in Place: Toward Solutions to the Specific Needs of the Elderly

Advances in engineering and health science have brought a significant improvement in health care and increased life expectancy. As a result, there has been a substantial growth in the number of older adults around the globe, and that number is rising. According to a United Nations report, between 2015 and 2030, the number of adults over the age of 60 is projected to grow by 56%, with the total reaching nearly 2.1 billion by the year 2050 [1]. Because of this, the cost of traditional health care continues to grow proportionally. Additionally, a significant portion of the elderly have multiple, simultaneous chronic conditions and require specialized geriatric care. However, the required number of geriatricians to provide essential care for the existing population is four times lower than the actual number of practitioners, and the demandsupply gap continues to grow [2]. All of these factors have created new challenges in providing suitable and affordable care for the elderly to live independently, more commonly known as aging in place.