University of South Florida (USF) M3 Publishing
Abstract
OVERVIEW
While the senior living industry has witnessed remarkable growth over the years, the challenges associated with labor shortage are becoming more evident as well. The gap between supply and demand is driving the integration of technological solutions to better support older people and their daily activities. Besides, the senior living industry has increasingly embraced the spirit of hospitality, which emphasizes the importance of enhancing services and amenities. Such a cultural shift also calls for more technologies to assist caregivers in fulfilling their job responsibilities more effectively. Therefore, this chapter delves into six prevalent types of technology adopted by senior living centers. They are wearable technology, community engagement technology, telemedicine, virtual reality (VR)/augmented reality (AR), smart homes, and robots. Each technology and its basic functionalities and features are introduced, followed by a detailed exploration of its application within senior living contexts. The discussions in this chapter underscore the industry’s keen interest in adopting technology, recognizing their pivotal role in supporting older people as well as caregivers. These insights bear substantial implications considering the projected growth of the elderly population and their unique needs.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After completing this chapter, the students will be able to:
- Understand the influence of hospitality culture on the senior living industry.
- Understand the challenges faced by the senior living industry and how technologies can be utilized to address these challenges.
- Describe the various types of technologies being adopted by senior living centers.
- Explain how technologies can be used to assist older people and caregivers in senior living contexts.
DOI
https://www.doi.org/10.5038/9781732127586
Recommended Citation
Zhang, L., Zhong, Y., & Wei, W. (2021). Technology in senior living communities. In C. Cobanoglu, S. Dogan, K. Berezina, & G. Collins (Eds.), Advances in hospitality and tourism information technology (pp. 1-23). USF M3 Publishing. https://doi.org/10.5038/9781732127586
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
