Aging in Place Gets Smarter

Technology redefines how older adults live at home

Fact checked by Shannon Sparks

For decades, aging in place meant grab bars in the bathroom, a landline nearby, and a neighbor checking in. Today, it looks more like a fully integrated home that acts as a quiet partner in safety, monitoring, and peace of mind.

The newest generation of connected homes includes sensors embedded in walls and appliances, fall-detection flooring, and environmental monitors that track indoor air quality, room temperature, and more. When something seems off, centralized systems can alert family members or professional caregivers within seconds.

There’s been a sharp growth in smart home devices for older adults, a recent Kiplinger report found. Many now use radar instead of cameras to detect falls and protect privacy; others include video doorbells to screen visitors, stove monitors that turn off burners automatically, and voice assistants that manage daily tasks.

These tools don’t replace human help, but they create a safer baseline for older adults who want to live at home as long as possible. And digital models are emerging worldwide.

“Robotics should augment — not replace — the human care relationship. The goal is to free caregivers from repetitive, physically demanding tasks so they can focus on empathy and connection.”

“The future of care for older adults is human-centered but tech-enabled,” says Jay Bhatt, DO, a geriatrician and a managing director at Deloitte. “Robotics and assistive technologies can extend human capacity, support independence and dignity, and help address the workforce shortages we’re seeing nationwide.”

Plus, growing evidence shows that smart home tools significantly enhance safety, health monitoring, and overall quality of life for older adults, says Scott Code, vice president of LeadingAge’s Center for Aging Services Technologies. “That said, traditional home modifications, like grab bars, ramps, and improved lighting, remain essential and are often more immediately accessible. The most effective approach may be a combination of both, tailored to the individual’s needs and environment.”

The center primarily helps nonprofit aging services providers adopt and implement technology that strengthens care and day-to-day operations. Code says some of the tools that providers use also overlap with technologies that support older adults directly, such as smart lighting, video doorbells, and connectivity tools.

Reshaping retirement living

As technology becomes more common, retirement housing is evolving, too. Rather than typical gated communities, smart villages and tech-enabled homes are popping up in the United States and abroad. These communities combine digital tools with social spaces to help older adults stay independent and connected. 

“We’re watching robotics and smart-home systems move out of research labs and into daily use,” Bhatt says. “That shift will reshape how older adults live, whether in single-family homes or community settings.”

Across the U.S., several communities offer a preview of this future. 

• Enso Village in Healdsburg, California, which opened to residents in late 2023, pairs Zen-inspired architecture and sustainability with integrated communication systems and smart environmental controls that help staff keep residents safe without disrupting autonomy.
• Homestead Village in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, uses the Touchtown platform to give residents real-time schedules, digital directories, and emergency alerts. Motion-sensing floor mats, smart lighting, and appliance monitors track daily activity and alert staff when something looks unusual, helping residents stay independent and allowing caregivers to step in early.
• Masonic Villages in Pennsylvania has launched IQ Homes — units equipped with integrated smart devices, fall-detection features, and remote monitoring.

Other countries are leaning more heavily into digital infrastructure. 

• Portugal’s “Smart Villages” — part of a larger European initiative — in the Alentejo region is developing age-friendly rural hubs that integrate environmental sensors, mobility tools, and shared digital services designed to support older adults who want to remain in their home communities.
• Poland’s Smart City pilot program is testing GPS-enabled safety devices, digital kiosks, and age-friendly urban planning, creating models that combine smart-city technology with older-adult housing.
• South Korea offers one of the most advanced models of tech-enabled aging in place, driven by national policy. The country is outfitting public housing with AI-enabled monitoring systems, including motion and appliance sensors, voice-activated emergency calls, and predictive algorithms that flag changes in daily routines. These tools connect directly to municipal care centers, enabling staff to intervene quickly if a resident shows signs of distress.
• The United Kingdom is taking a similar approach through its expanding telecare networks, which integrate fall detection, environmental sensors, and digital check-ins across government-supported housing. Together, these efforts show how coordinated national strategies can scale smart-home technology beyond individual households and into entire aging-in-place ecosystems.

These examples show a clear trend: Successful aging-in-place depends on how communities are designed and the technology that supports them. In Europe, researchers lead the way with AI and sensor systems that predict needs, while the U.S. is now adopting similar tools to expand support from individual homes to entire neighborhoods. Co-housing communities add a social layer, with digital platforms that help residents coordinate activities, check in on each other, and proactively manage wellness.

Planners and advocates argue that these hybrid models could help solve a looming challenge: a rapidly growing population of retirees and a shrinking pool of paid caregivers. They caution that technology alone cannot replace the empathy, expertise, and human touch of caregiving, but it can extend safe independence.

Bhatt agrees, saying, “Robotics should augment — not replace — the human care relationship. The goal is to free caregivers from repetitive, physically demanding tasks so they can focus on empathy and connection.”

Many older adults and families still lack basic awareness of available technologies, according to Code, who calls the lack of understanding “one of the biggest barriers” to wider adoption. He adds there is a persistent digital divide, especially among those in underserved or rural communities — referring to 19 million older adults who still lack reliable internet access.

For Bhatt, widespread adoption will depend on ethical design, clinician buy-in, and reimbursement. “The opportunity is enormous,” he says. “But these tools must be trustworthy, inclusive and integrated into real workflows for their impact to last.”

Originally published in the Winter/Spring 2026 print issue.