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Thermal Comfort in Smart Homes for an Aging Population

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Handbook of Smart Homes, Health Care and Well-Being

Abstract

The number of older adults is increasing rapidly, and the majority of older adults wish to age in place. Furthermore, these demographical changes put a large stress on the healthcare system. Therefore, adequate aging-in-place strategies become significantly important. Appropriate and comfortable housing is one of the key determinants to facilitate this desire. One of the aspects of concern is thermal comfort. Since the thermal requirements differ between young adults and the older counterparts, current models for assessing thermal comfort are not sufficiently accurate to be used for older adults. This chapter provides an overview of thermal comfort in relation to aging and the way smart home technologies including smart thermostats can contribute to well-being and health with respect to aging-in-place strategies.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 50, 6229 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    L. Schellen

  2. School of Built Environment and Infrastructure, Avans University of Applied Sciences, Professor Cobbenhagenlaan 13, 5037 DA, Tilburg, The Netherlands

    L. Schellen

  3. Centre for Healthcare and Technology, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Dominee Theodor Fliednerstraat 2, 5631 BN, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    J. van Hoof

Authors
  1. L. Schellen
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  2. J. van Hoof
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Correspondence to L. Schellen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Fontys EGT – Centre for Healthcare and Technology, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    Joost van Hoof

  2. School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA

    George Demiris

  3. Institute of allied health professions, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Eindhoven, The Netherlands

    Eveline J.M. Wouters

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Schellen, L., van Hoof, J. (2017). Thermal Comfort in Smart Homes for an Aging Population. In: van Hoof, J., Demiris, G., Wouters, E. (eds) Handbook of Smart Homes, Health Care and Well-Being. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-01583-5_64

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