Robert Radziszewski, Hubert Kenfack Ngankam, Vincent Grégoire, Dominique Lorrain, Hélène Pigot and Sylvain Giroux
Assistive living technologies provide support for specific activities, transforming a home into a smart home. The purpose of this paper is to present how to design, implement…
Abstract
Purpose
Assistive living technologies provide support for specific activities, transforming a home into a smart home. The purpose of this paper is to present how to design, implement, deploy and install a personalized ambient support system for the elderly suffering from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and nighttime wandering.
Design/methodology/approach
The intervention presented in this paper proceeds in two phases. During the monitoring phase, the system determines the profile of the person with AD, based on nighttime routines. Data are gathered from sensors dispatched in the smart home, coupled with physiological data obtained from sensors worn by the person. Data are then classified to determine engine rules that will provide assistance to the resident to satisfy their needs. During the second phase, smart assistance is provided to the person via environmental cues by triggering rules based on the person’s habits and the activities occurring during night.
Findings
The paper develops the architecture of a non-intrusive system that integrates heterogeneous technologies to provide a calm environment during night and limit wandering periods.
Practical implications
The goal is to help people age well at home as long as possible and recover a regular circadian cycle while providing more comfort to the caregiver.
Originality/value
The system presented in this paper offers a calm and personalized environment with music and visual icons to soothe persons with AD and encourage them to go back to bed. It is installed at the patient’s home using wireless technologies.
Details
Keywords
Amidst the perpetual evasiveness of a general succession model, successor commitment has been identified as an important factor. The purpose of this paper is to examine to what…
Abstract
Purpose
Amidst the perpetual evasiveness of a general succession model, successor commitment has been identified as an important factor. The purpose of this paper is to examine to what extent female successor commitment displays particular characteristics and which insights this sheds on successor commitment theory.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a review of the relevant literature, propositions concerning female successor commitment are developed. Qualitative case study data are used to explore the applicability of the multidimensional successor commitment model.
Findings
Normative commitment was only observed in female successors at a time of crisis or when no other successor was available. It was found to be a dynamic concept and the data indicated a general shift towards affective commitment. A combination of calculative and affective commitment was found when the female successor chose a career in the family business, to be able to combine career and child care responsibilities, indicating the need to include personal cost in the antecedents for calculative successor commitment.
Research limitations/implications
The findings suggest amendments to consider for the successor commitment model and the calculative commitment type in particular. The most important implication for future research is the development of assessment tools to be able to measure and quantify different types of commitment and their relative strength, in order to be able to make inferences about co‐occurrence and change.
Originality/value
The paper takes a female perspective to explore the successor commitment issue and thereby allows identifying issues hitherto invisible to the successor commitment discussion.