Next Steps in Ethics and Policy

So far, we have presented some challenges associated with aging and examples where supportive smart home technologies could provide support to those wishing to age in place. However, we have only considered these in a simple one-dimensional way: here is a health challenge, and here is a technology that may support it. In reality, there are other forces at play in complex environments and our societies, including ethical principles and unique policy issues in different jurisdictions. To illustrate, if we consider that some of these technologies are health-related, let’s think about the health environment in two neighboring countries: Canada and the United States of America (USA). Differences in how these countries view healthcare may impact how health policy includes supportive smart home technology.