Smart Home Technology Integration in Home Modification Programs Serving Older Adults: A Focus Group Study with Program Grantees
ABSTRACT
Background:
As the American population ages over the coming decades, demand for in-home support and other interventions, such as home modifications, to help older adults age in place successfully is expected to rise. Smart home technologies have the potential to enhance aging-in-place by complementing traditional home modifications; however, adoption within federally funded home modification programs remains limited.
Objective:
This study explored the perspectives of grantees of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)- funded Older Adults Home Modification (OAHMP) Program to understand current practices, perceived benefits, barriers, and strategies for integrating smart home technologies into home modification services.
Methods:
An exploratory qualitative study was conducted with staff, occupational therapists, and home builders from three OAHMP grantee organizations. A 1.5-hour virtual focus group was held and thematically analyzed using a deductive approach grounded in the discussion agenda
Results:
Participants reported early adoption of select smart devices—most commonly smart speakers, doorbell cameras, motion-activated lights, and smart plugs—to enhance home safety, communication, and independence. Barriers to broader implementation emerged at three levels: 1) older adults’ digital literacy, privacy concerns, and device maintenance burden, 2) contextual constraints such as unreliable internet in rural areas, and 3) organizational limitations, including training needs, staffing capacity, and funding challenges. Participants emphasized the importance of staged adoption, hands-on training, and low-maintenance technology. In addition, partnerships with universities’ educational programs were well established among selected grantees to facilitate the technology training resources for older adults. To inform the selection of appropriate technologies for home modifications, criteria across five domains—installation, usability, accessibility, sustainability, and security/privacy—were proposed.
Conclusions:
Integrating smart home technologies into home modification programs provides a scalable, cost-effective opportunity to improve aging-in-place outcomes. Policy support, workforce training, valid selection criteria, and sustainable funding models are needed to promote equitable adoption across OAHMP and similar federally supported programs
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