Ageing People in Ireland: A Survey Perspective on Technology in the Home

The Irish population aged 65 years and over is increasing and it is predicted that this trend will accelerate over the next 30 years. Projections highlight that those aged 65 and over will number 0.5 million by 2011, an increase of 26% representing 14% of the population. In order to anticipate the needs of this increasing segment of our population, a survey of ageing people’s needs in Ireland was commissioned. The overall aim of the survey was to determine the needs and requirements of ageing people with respect to assistive technologies in the home. The survey found that a majority of ageing people were willing to embrace the use of technology which would enable them to age in place. However, while acknowledging the benefits of technology and the automation of systems and functions, respondents were concerned that human interaction may be replaced by technical systems over which they would have no control. Furthermore, such technologies must be non-intrusive, failsafe, affordable, easy-to-use and their use must be ethical.