Assistive Living in IoT-Based Smart Home Systems for Aging in Place: A Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21015/vtse.v13i2.2102Abstract
The fast expansion of the elderly population has raised the need for creative solutions to help senior people live independently and securely at home. Internet of Things (IoT) based smart home systems rising as a promising solution to meet this need, provide health monitoring, fall detection, and daily activity recognition help among other features. Designed for aging in place, this paper offers a thorough review of IoT based smart home technologies, assessing their uses, advantages, and obstacles. Key technologies we find via a methodical literature review include wearable devices, environmental sensors, and voice activated assistants; we assess their efficacy in improving the quality of life for elderly people. The review points out important concerns - usability, data privacy, interoperability, and cost - that impede the general use of these systems. We also consider the consequences of these results for researchers and offer direction for further study to fill current research gaps. The possibility of IoT based smart home systems to help aging in place is underlined in this research, but the need for user-centered design, interoperable system, strong security precautions and inexpensive solutions to guarantee their accessibility and efficacy for aging populations is also stressed.
References
F. Liang, Z. Su, and W. Sheng, “Multimodal monitoring of activities of daily living for elderly care,” IEEE Sensors Journal, vol. 24, pp. 11459–11471, Apr. 2024.
M. S. A. Baig et al., “AI-based wearable vision assistance system for the visually impaired: Integrating real-time object recognition and contextual understanding using large vision-language models,” arXiv preprint arXiv:2412.20059, 2024.
L. Babangida, T. Perumal, N. Mustapha, and R. Yaakob, “Internet of things (IoT) based activity recognition strategies in smart homes: A review,” IEEE Sensors Journal, vol. 22, no. 9, pp. 8327–8336, 2022.
V. Bianchi et al., “IoT wearable sensor and deep learning: An integrated approach for personalized human activity recognition in a smart home environment,” IEEE Internet of Things Journal, vol. 6, no. 5, pp. 8553–8562, 2019.
L. Filipe, R. S. Peres, and R. M. Tavares, “Voice-activated smart home controller using machine learning,” IEEE Access, vol. 9, pp. 66852–66863, 2021.
F. Saeed et al., “IoT-based intelligent modeling of smart home environment for fire prevention and safety,” Journal of Sensor and Actuator Networks, vol. 7, no. 1, p. 11, 2018.
G. Mois, S. Folea, and T. Sanislav, “Analysis of three IoT-based wireless sensors for environmental monitoring,” IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, vol. 66, no. 8, pp. 2056–2064, 2017.
O. Taiwo and A. E. Ezugwu, “Internet of things-based intelligent smart home control system,” Security and Communication Networks, vol. 2021, no. 1, p. 9928254, 2021.
S. Majumder et al., “Smart homes for elderly healthcare—Recent advances and research challenges,” Sensors, vol. 17, no. 11, p. 2496, 2017.
D. Pal et al., “Internet-of-things and smart homes for elderly healthcare: An end-user perspective,” IEEE Access, vol. 6, pp. 10483–10496, 2018.
Q. Zhang, M. Li, and Y. Wu, “Smart home for elderly care: Development and challenges in China,” BMC Geriatrics, vol. 20, pp. 1–8, 2020.
D. Pal et al., “Smart homes and quality of life for the elderly: Perspective of competing models,” IEEE Access, vol. 6, pp. 8109–8122, 2018.
L. Y. Rock, F. P. Tajudeen, and Y. W. Chung, “Usage and impact of the internet-of-things-based smart home technology: A quality-of-life perspective,” Universal Access in the Information Society, vol. 23, no. 1, pp. 345–364, 2024.
T. K. Hui, R. S. Sherratt, and D. D. Sánchez, “Major requirements for building smart homes in smart cities based on internet of things technologies,” Future Generation Computer Systems, vol. 76, pp. 358–369, 2017.
R. Wolniak and W. Grebski, “The usage of smart lighting in smart home,” Scientific Papers of Silesian University of Technology. Organization & Management, no. 189, 2023.
P. Carnemolla, “Ageing in place and the internet of things—How smart home technologies, the built environment and caregiving intersect,” Visualization in Engineering, vol. 6, pp. 1–16, Dec. 2018.
M. M. Aljawarneh et al., “Multi-user conflict resolution mechanisms for smart home environments,” PeerJ Computer Science, vol. 9, p. e1443, 2023.
R. Young et al., “‘Willing but unwilling’: Attitudinal barriers to adoption of home-based health information technology among older adults,” Health Informatics Journal, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 127–135, 2014.
C. Lee and J. F. Coughlin, “Perspective: Older adults’ adoption of technology: An integrated approach to identifying determinants and barriers,” Journal of Product Innovation Management, vol. 32, no. 5, pp. 747–759, 2015.
I. Iancu and B. Iancu, “Designing mobile technology for elderly: A theoretical overview,” Technological Forecasting and Social Change, vol. 155, p. 119977, 2020.
N. Balta-Ozkan et al., “Social barriers to the adoption of smart homes,” Energy Policy, vol. 63, pp. 363–374, 2013.
M. Jia et al., “Adopting internet of things for the development of smart buildings: A review of enabling technologies and applications,” Automation in Construction, vol. 101, pp. 111–126, 2019.
W. Li et al., “Motivations, barriers and risks of smart home adoption: From systematic literature review to conceptual framework,” Energy Research & Social Science, vol. 80, p. 102211, 2021.
S. T. Herrero, L. Nicholls, and Y. Strengers, “Smart home technologies in everyday life: Do they address key energy challenges in households?” Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, vol. 31, pp. 65–70, 2018.
S. Balakrishnan, H. Vasudavan, and R. K. Murugesan, “Smart home technologies: A preliminary review,” in Proc. 6th Int. Conf. on Information Technology: IoT and Smart City, 2018, pp. 120–127.
B. K. Sovacool and D. D. F. Del Rio, “Smart home technologies in Europe: A critical review of concepts, benefits, risks and policies,” Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev., vol. 120, p. 109663, 2020.
I. B. Nasr, I. Abaidi, and L. Thomas, “Home sweet smart home: Enhancing consumer valuation and purchase intention of smart home technologies (SHTs) for societal value,” Inf. Syst. Front., vol. 26, no. 6, pp. 1997–2025, 2024.
M. Hu, S. Han, S. Ghorbany, and K. Zhang, “Healthy aging in place with the aid of smart technologies: A systematic review,” Encyclopedia, vol. 4, pp. 1918–1932, Dec. 2024.
N. Raghu, T. Mahesh, V. Vivek, S. Y. Kumaran, N. Kannanugo, and S. Vishwanatha, “IoT-enabled safety and secure smart homes for elderly people,” in Future of Digital Technology and AI in Social Sectors, IGI Global, 2025, pp. 297–328.
F. Alanazi and M. Alenezi, “Interoperability for intelligent traffic management systems in smart cities,” Int. J. Electr. Comput. Eng. (IJECE), vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 1864–1874, 2024.
B. Kitchenham and S. Charters, “Guidelines for performing systematic literature reviews in software engineering,” Tech. Rep., Keele Univ., vol. 51, pp. 7–15, 2009.
D. Moher, A. Liberati, J. Tetzlaff, D. Altman, and P. Group, “Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses: The PRISMA statement,” PLoS Med., vol. 6, no. 7, p. e1000097, 2009.
M. Ismail et al., “Development of a regional voice dataset and speaker classification based on machine learning,” J. Big Data, vol. 8, pp. 1–18, 2021.
S. M. Shah and S. N. Ahsan, “Arabic speaker identification system using combination of DWT and LPC features,” in Proc. Int. Conf. Open Source Syst. Technol., 2014, pp. 176–181.
S. M. Shah, M. Memon, and M. H. U. Salam, “Speaker recognition for Pashto speakers based on isolated digits recognition using accent and dialect approach,” J. Eng. Sci. Technol., vol. 15, no. 4, pp. 2190–2207, 2020.
S. M. Shah et al., “A Pashtu speakers database using accent and dialect approach,” Int. J. Appl. Pattern Recognit., vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 358–380, 2017.
S. M. Shah, M. Moinuddin, and R. A. Khan, “A robust approach for speaker identification using dialect information,” Appl. Comput. Intell. Soft Comput., vol. 2022, p. 4980920, 2022.
M. Moinuddin et al., “Dialect based speaker identification,” U.S. Patent 11,348,591, May 31, 2022.
S. M. Shah et al., “Advancing depression detection on social media platforms through fine-tuned large language models,” Online Soc. Netw. Media, vol. 46, p. 100311, 2025.
S. M. Shah et al., “Artificial intelligence for breast cancer analysis: Trends & directions,” Comput. Biol. Med., vol. 142, p. 105221, 2022.
U. Sajid et al., “Breast cancer classification using deep learned features boosted with handcrafted features,” Biomed. Signal Process. Control, vol. 86, p. 105353, 2023.
S. Rounaq et al., “A hybrid approach for COVID-19 detection: Combining Wasserstein GAN with transfer learning,” arXiv preprint arXiv:2411.06397, 2024.
S. M. Shah et al., “Mental illness detection through harvesting social media: A comprehensive literature review,” PeerJ Comput. Sci., vol. 10, p. e2296, 2024.
S. Rounaq et al., “Synthesizing realistic images for improved early detection of novel pandemics: A GAN enabled approach,” Heliyon, vol. 11, no. 6, 2025.
S. Majumder et al., “Smart homes for elderly healthcare—Recent advances and research challenges,” Sensors, vol. 17, p. 2496, Oct. 2017.
C. Aggar et al., “Smart home technology to support older people’s quality of life: A longitudinal pilot study,” Int. J. Older People Nurs., vol. 18, p. e12489, Jan. 2022.
L. Yao et al., “Up in the air: When homes meet the Web of Things,” Dec. 2015.
L. Caroux et al., “Towards context-aware assistive applications for aging in place via real-life-proof activity detection,” J. Ambient Intell. Smart Environ., vol. 10, pp. 445–459, Nov. 2018.
D. Kim et al., “In-home monitoring technology for aging in place: Scoping review,” Interact. J. Med. Res., vol. 11, p. e39005, Sep. 2022.
L. Liu et al., “Smart homes and home health monitoring technologies for older adults: A systematic review,” Int. J. Med. Inform., vol. 91, pp. 44–59, Jul. 2016.
C. VandeWeerd et al., “HomeSense: Design of an ambient home health and wellness monitoring platform for older adults,” Health Technol., vol. 10, pp. 1291–1309, Sep. 2020.
Y. van Kasteren et al., “Understanding smart home sensor data for ageing in place through everyday household routines: A mixed method case study,” JMIR Mhealth Uhealth, vol. 5, p. e52, Jun. 2017.
D. Kim and M. Portillo, “Fall hazards within senior independent living: A case-control study,” HERD, vol. 11, pp. 65–81, Oct. 2018.
S. Yusif, J. Soar, and A. Hafeez-Baig, “Older people, assistive technologies, and the barriers to adoption: A systematic review,” Int. J. Med. Inform., vol. 94, pp. 112–116, Oct. 2016.
Y. K. Choi, H. J. Thompson, and G. Demiris, “Internet-of-Things smart home technology to support aging-in-place: Older adults’ perceptions and attitudes,” J. Gerontol. Nurs., vol. 47, pp. 15–21, Apr. 2021.
M. Liu, C. Wang, and J. Hu, “Older adults’ intention to use voice assistants: Usability and emotional needs,” Heliyon, vol. 9, Nov. 2023.
I. Logothetis et al., “Smart home goal feature model–A guide to support smart homes for ageing in place,” Nov. 2023.
N. Thakur, C. Chia, and Y. Y. Han, “Framework for an intelligent affect aware smart home environment for elderly people,” Int. J. Recent Trends Hum. Comput. Interact. (IJHCI), p. 23, Jun. 2021.
S. Arthanat, J. Wilcox, and M. Macuch, “Profiles and predictors of smart home technology adoption by older adults,” OTJR Occup. Particip. Health, vol. 39, pp. 247–256, Oct. 2019.
S. M. Shah and R. A. Khan, “Secondary use of electronic health record: Opportunities and challenges,” IEEE Access, vol. 8, pp. 136947–136965, 2020.
S. Alimoradi, X. Gao, and A. Professor, “Intelligence complements from the built environment: A review of smart building technologies for cognitively declined occupants,” Sep. 2021.
R. W. Attar et al., “Exploring the impact of smart cities on improving the quality of life for people with disabilities in Saudi Arabia,” Front. Built Environ., vol. 10, p. 1398425, Aug. 2024.
H. W. Lach et al., “Home monitoring to track activity and sleep patterns among older adults: A feasibility study,” CIN: Comput. Inform. Nurs., vol. 37, pp. 628–637, Dec. 2019.
A. Vrančić, H. Zadravec, and T. Orehovački, “The role of smart homes in providing care for older adults: A systematic literature review from 2010 to 2023,” Smart Cities, vol. 7, pp. 1502–1550, Jun. 2024.
A. Bertolazzi, V. Quaglia, and R. Bongelli, “Barriers and facilitators to health technology adoption by older adults with chronic diseases: An integrative systematic review,” BMC Public Health, vol. 24, pp. 1–17, Dec. 2024.
C. Siegel and T. E. Dorner, “Information technologies for active and assisted living—influences to the quality of life of an ageing society,” Int. J. Med. Inform., vol. 100, pp. 32–45, Apr. 2017.
T.-C. T. Chen and Y.-J. Lee, “Smart technologies for fall detection and prevention,” in Smart Healthcare Systems, pp. 73–98, 2024.
R. Turjamaa, A. Pehkonen, and M. Kangasniemi, “How smart homes are used to support older people: An integrative review,” Int. J. Older People Nurs., vol. 14, p. e12260, Dec. 2019.
L. Rossi et al., “Interoperability issues among smart home technological frameworks,” in Proc. IEEE/ASME Int. Conf. Mechatronic Embedded Syst. Appl. (MESA), Oct. 2014.
J. F. Coughlin, L. A. D’Ambrosio, B. Reimer, and M. R. Pratt, “Older adult perceptions of smart home technologies: Implications for research, policy and market innovations in healthcare,” in Proc. Annu. Int. Conf. IEEE Eng. Med. Biol. Soc., pp. 1810–1815, 2007.
F. Saeed, A. Paul, A. Rehman, W. H. Hong, and H. Seo, “IoT-based intelligent modeling of smart home environment for fire prevention and safety,” J. Sensor Actuator Netw., vol. 7, p. 11, Mar. 2018.
F. Fornara and S. Manca, “Healthy residential environments for the elderly,” in Designing Spaces for Aging, pp. 441–465, 2017.
S. S. Albouq et al., “A survey of interoperability challenges and solutions for dealing with them in IoT environment,” IEEE Access, vol. 10, pp. 36416–36428, 2022.
X. Y. Lin, J. Moxley, J. Sharit, and S. J. Czaja, “Beyond the digital divide: Factors associated with adoption of technologies related to aging in place,” J. Gerontol. Soc. Work, Feb. 2025, doi: 10.1177/07334648251318789.
S. Saguna, C. Åhlund, and A. Larsson, “Experiences and challenges of providing IoT-based care for elderly in real-life smart home environments,” in Handbook of Integration of Cloud Computing, Cyber Physical Systems and Internet of Things, pp. 255–271, 2020.
I. Rupasinghe and M. Maduranga, “Towards ambient assisted living (AAL): Design of an IoT-based elderly activity monitoring system,” Int. J. Eng. Manuf., vol. 12, no. 2, p. 1, 2022.
M. Luperto et al., “Seeking at-home long-term autonomy of assistive mobile robots through the integration with an IoT-based monitoring system,” Robot. Auton. Syst., vol. 161, p. 104346, 2023.
P. Ediga et al., “Promoting sustainable living: IoT-integrated smart homes for elderly people,” in E3S Web Conf., vol. 507, p. 01033, 2024.
R. Ouni and K. Saleem, “Secure smart home architecture for ambient-assisted living using a multimedia Internet of Things based system in smart cities,” Math. Biosci. Eng., vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 3473–3497, 2024.
A. K. Cherian et al., “An IoT based voice assisted smart residential appliance control mechanism using intelligent NodeMCU controller,” in Proc. 2024 5th Int. Conf. Electron. Sustain. Commun. Syst. (ICESC), pp. 381–387, IEEE, 2024.
A. A. Khan et al., “Comparing ANN and SVM algorithms for predicting exercise routines of diabetic patients,” in Proc. 2021 Int. Wireless Commun. Mobile Comput. Conf. (IWCMC), pp. 703–708, IEEE, 2021.
V. Miori, D. Russo, and L. Ferrucci, “Interoperability of home automation systems as a critical challenge for IoT,” in Proc. 2019 4th Int. Conf. Comput. Commun. Security (ICCCS), Oct. 2019.
Y. Liu, R. Tamura, and L. Xiao, “Barriers to older adults adapting smart homes: Perceived risk scale development,” Buildings, vol. 14, p. 1226, Apr. 2024.
C. F. Corbett, P. J. Wright, K. Jones, and M. Parmer, “Voice-activated virtual home assistant use and social isolation and loneliness among older adults: Mini review,” Front. Public Health, vol. 9, p. 742012, Oct. 2021.
I. Kondratova, H. Fournier, and K. Katsuragawa, “Review of remote usability methods for aging in place technologies,” in Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 12786, pp. 33–47, 2021.
A. J. London et al., “Ethical issues in near-future socially supportive smart assistants for older adults,” IEEE Trans. Technol. Soc., vol. 4, pp. 291–301, Jan. 2023.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-By) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY
