Scoping Review of Technological Solutions for Community Dwelling Older Adults and Implications for Instrumental Activities of Daily Living

Aging in place is not without its challenges, with physical, psychological, social, and economic burdens on caregivers and seniors. To address these challenges and promote active aging, technological advancements offer a range of digital tools, applications, and devices, enabling community dwelling older adults to live independently and safely. Despite these opportunities, the acceptance of technology among the older adults remains low, often due to a mismatch between technology development and the actual needs and goals of seniors. The aim of this review is to identify recent technological solutions that monitor the health and well-being of aging adults, particularly within the context of instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). A scoping review identified 52 studies that meet specific inclusion criteria. The outcomes were classified based on social connectedness, autonomy, mental health, physical health, and safety. Our review revealed that a predominant majority (82%) of the studies were observational in design and primarily focused on health-related IADLs (59%) and communication-related IADLs (31%). Additionally, the study highlighted the crucial role of involving older adults in study design processes, with only 8 out of the 52 studies incorporating this approach. Our review also established the interview method as the most favoured technology evaluation tool for older adults' studies. The metrics of 'usability' and 'acceptance' emerged as the most frequently employed measures for technology assessment. This study contributes to the existing literature by shedding light on the implications of technological solutions for community dwelling older adults, emphasizing the types of technologies employed and their evaluation results.