Smart technologies are increasingly positioned as key enablers of active ageing, yet their relationship to age-friendly environments remains fragmented across the literature. This study examines how smart ageing initiatives align with the World Health Organization’s eight domains of age-friendliness and examines the technological and contextual factors shaping their adoption among older adults. Drawing on a longitudinal scoping review of studies published between 2000 and 2025, the analysis synthesizes evidence from 255 articles across diverse geographical settings. The review identifies telehealth systems, wearable monitoring devices, and smart home technologies as the most frequently reported technologies, with strongest attention given to the domains of healthcare and housing. It further shows that priorities differ across regional and national contexts, reflecting variations in welfare systems, digital infrastructure, and cultural expectations around ageing and care. Across studies, major barriers include limited digital literacy, affordability, accessibility, and gaps in institutional and community support. The study contributes a comparative evidence base for understanding how smart technologies are being integrated into age-friendly agendas and identifies priority areas for policy intervention, technological design, and future research on inclusive digital ageing.

Authors:
Zhen Tian, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Xinyue Zhang, Lingnan University, Hong Kong

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Zhen Tian is currently a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Social Sciences and a member of the Research Centre for Gerontology and Family Studies at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

Connect on Linkedin
https://linkedin.com/in/zhen-tian-468070241

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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