�SMART � TECHNOLOGIES TO ENHANCE ELDERLY LIVING IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

In 2013, the ratio of elderly Singaporeans to Singapore residents is 1 in every 10 Singaporean. This is expected to increase significantly to approximately 1 in every 5 Singaporean by 2030. The adoption of smart technologies has great potential in enhancing the living environment of the ageing population in Singapore. Although smart technologies has attracted the attention of countries with increasing ageing population concerns, Singapore have yet to notice the importance of exploring the adoption of smart technologies for elderly living. Research on the concept of smart home technologies is relatively minimal in Singapore. With technological advancements, it is feasible to incorporate smart technologies for sustainable and independent living of elderly Singaporean. This research reviews various topics on smart technologies that may be adopted by Singapore’s public housing. The area of focus is on smart home projects, feasible smart home network, and various smart home appliances available in the market and suitable sensor technologies. In addition, concerns of the elderly regarding smart technologies will be reviewed. In order to successfully implement smart technologies for elderly Singaporean, a preliminary study is conducted to understand their activities and behavioural patterns as well as to identify areas of concern. Following the preliminary research, a survey is conducted to analyse the routine activities of the elderly population and highlight activity bearing the most concern based on the frequency of occurrence indicated by the elderly respondents. Multiple demographic analyses will identify any trends occurring. Overall, the result showed potential areas for smart technologies to be implemented in each category of activity and throughout gender as well as age group range. A variety of smart home technologies solutions will be proposed to overcome activities of concern that were identified. These smart technologies are either available in the market or are still in the development phase. As most of these technologies are available outside of Singapore, elderly Singaporeans would not have the opportunity to appreciate its usefulness and effectiveness. At the same time, with these considerations in mind, elderly Singaporeans should be more receptive towards smart technologies and accept the benefits of smart technologies.