A Human-Centered Perspective on Optimizing Ambient Assisted Living Sensing Systems for Aging in Place

Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) sensing and actuation systems are an area of growing research, increasingly recognized for their potential to help older adults age in place. These systems, which often include a variety of sensors, have shown significant potential in accurately measuring health indicators and informing of older adults' health and well-being. However, they also raise concerns among older adults regarding privacy and data accountability, which can hinder their adoption and widespread use. Furthermore, there is a notable gap in the ability of these systems to be tailored to the individual needs and preferences of older adults, making it challenging to adapt and scale these systems for diverse populations. To address these challenges and make AAL systems more human-centered, we conducted need-finding research with 26 older adults and 24 caregivers to explore how these systems can ethically support older adults while delivering desired results. This paper presents our need-finding experience and proposes a new human-centered framework for AAL sensing and actuation systems designed to enhance aging in place.