Requirements gathering for the delivery of healthcare data in aware homes

Abstract

Aware homes support the monitoring of older adults, with the potential to detect a wealth of information regarding the person's functional, cognitive and social wellbeing. While much research in this space focuses on the collection and interpretation of sensor data, it is equally important to understand how we can begin to relay the information learned back to older adults, empowering them to play an active role in the management of their health. In this paper we discuss the results of the requirements gathering phase of our research with a number of older adults living in aware homes. The goal of this research is to explore issues surrounding the delivery of healthcare information, as collected through embedded sensors in the home, to the home owner. Our results reveal a number of emerging themes around this space, including a desire by older adults to play an active role in managing their health and potential concerns surrounding the delivery of such information through technology.