SMART HOME FEATURES TO ENHANCE ELDERLY WELL-BEING AND QUALITY OF LIFE IN MALAYSIA: A SCOPING REVIEW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v24i41.2013Keywords:
Smart home technology, Quality of Life, Well-being, Elderly, Scoping reviewAbstract
This paper examines smart home features designed for elderly-friendly housing environments, aiming to improve the quality of life and well-being of older adults through technology. Using Arksey and O'Malley's (2005) scoping review framework, 9 peer-reviewed studies published between 2021 and 2025 were systematically reviewed. The findings categorise smart home features into five key themes: (1) Safety and Security, (2) Health Monitoring, (3) Comfort and Accessibility, (4) Social and Cognitive Well-Being, and (5) Energy Efficiency. The review emphasises the significance of designing a housing environment with the integration of technologies that are adaptable to the physical, psychological, and social needs of elderly users. This paper provides a current synthesis of smart home research related to ageing populations. It offers a framework that can guide housing design, innovation, and policy, and user-centred design practices in ageing societies. Although not limited to a single country, the findings are especially relevant for rapidly ageing societies like Malaysia. Further validation from domain experts and stakeholders is needed to confirm the relevance and applicability of the identified smart home features in actual implementation contexts.
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