A scoping review of the use of intelligent assistive technologies in rehabilitation practice with older adults.

Collaborative efforts of policy-makers, researchers, manufacturers, rehabilitation professionals, and older persons are needed to improve the design of technologies, develop appropriate funding and reimbursement strategies, and minimise barriers to their appropriate use to support independence and quality of life. Any strategies to improve upon barriers to prescribing smart technologies for older people should leverage the expertise of rehabilitation professionals operating at the interface between older people; their health/mobility; their families; and technology-based solutions.Implications for rehabilitationThere is growing interest in intelligent assistive technologies (IATs) in the rehabilitation of older adults, as well as barriers to their use in practice.Rehabilitation professionals can play a key role in enabling access to IATs by recommending or prescribing their use to their older clients. Strategies to address barriers to the use of IATs for older people should leverage the expertise of rehabilitation professionals operating at the interface between older people, their families, and technology-based solutions.Older people and their families require technical support to initiate and continue to use IATs for rehabilitation. While rehabilitation providers may be well-placed to offer this support, they may require time and organizational support to build and maintain expertise in the fast-advancing field of smart technologies for rehabilitation.Cost and usability are universal challenges across the types of smart technologies considered in this review. Participatory approaches to involving older people in the design and development of smart assistive technologies contribute to better usability of these technologies. Devices and interventions that leverage more readily available devices and lower-cost components may overcome cost barriers to accessibility.