Smart houses: what they are and how they work

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What a smart house is

One aged care technology hub describes a smart home as a place of residence with technology that helps the people living there stay independent and safe and improve their quality of life. The aged care technology hub says sensors, actuators and software can be built into furniture, walls and everyday objects.

The aged care technology hub says using a computer, someone can watch what happens inside the home while they are away from it. The aged care technology hub says the internal environment can be adjusted too, lighting for example. The aged care technology hub says where an occupant's behaviour is being monitored, family members can have an emergency service alerted automatically if the behaviour moves away from its usual pattern.

The aged care technology hub lists what a smart home may include: systems that automate tasks around the home and adapt it to the habits of the people in it, motion sensors, locks and doorbells with security systems, mobility assistance, medication reminders, and voice-activated assistants such as Alexa and Google Home.

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Smart home technology in aged care

The aged care technology hub says the technology is often taken up by people who want to keep living on their own. The hub's information sheet notes that these technologies are not useable for every older person, and that barriers to bringing them in are sometimes high. The hub's information sheet says automated functions or a smart home assistant may cut the risk of falls or injury, and gives the example of a light that can be switched off after someone leaves a room, rather than that person walking through a dimly lit room.

The hub notes that smart locks may be useful when someone from a care team needs to get into the home and the older person is not able to let them in. The hub describes a smart lock as a technology that makes locking and unlocking easy, and one that lets an older adult control who can get into the home.

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What smart homes may offer

The aged care technology hub sets out what smart homes may do in aged care: help someone stay in their own home for longer, make the home safer, prevent injury, help with remembering, taking and tracking medications, and give family and loved ones peace of mind. It also names a few technologies it calls commonly used and easily accessible.

Google Home is an app that the hub describes as a way to set up a smart home fitted to one person, with help for tasks such as turning on lights and setting medication reminders. Alexa works by voice and, in the hub's description, can support a smart home and offer personalised social interaction.