Technological developments may help to meet the challenge of an ageing population through products and services which assist older people to live independently in their own homes: ‘smart' homes with embedded third generation telecare technologies may allow older people to ‘age in place’ and enjoy higher quality of life, rather than having to move to residential care.

However, evidence is still lacking about how they are designed, provided and used, and how this can affect older people’s ability to live well independently and enjoy a higher quality of life. The aim of this study was to fill this gap by collecting data about how these 'smart' home technologies are provided to and used by older people, and to determine what outcomes can be achieved in terms of improved wellbeing and successful independent living.

Our funding was extended in the summer of 2020 in order to conduct specific research into an assistive technology scheme being piloted by Johnnie Johnson Housing. The research will help us to determine how the provision of such technologies might be improved, and how they can be successfully embedded within peoples’ homes to best meet the complex and diverse needs of an ageing population.

A case study of our research has been published by the Dunhill Medical Trust on their website.