The management of chronic diseases requires personalized healthcare that allows older adults to manage their diseases at home. This systematic review aimed to describe the smart home technologies used in the management of chronic diseases in older people. A systematic literature review was conducted on four databases and was reported following the PRISMA statement. Nineteen articles were included. The intervention technologies were classified into three groups: smart home, characterized by environmental sensors detecting motion, contact, light, temperature, and humidity; external memory aids, characterized by a partnership between mobile apps and smart home-based activity learning; and hybrid technology, with the integration of multiple technologies, such as devices installed at patients’ homes and telemedicine. The health outcomes evaluated are vital signs, medication management, ADL-IADL, mobility, falls, and quality of life. Smart homes show great potential in the management of chronic diseases by favouring the control of exacerbations and increasing patients’ safety by providing support in disease management, including support for cognitively impaired older people. The use of smart homes in the community could bring numerous benefits in terms of continuity of care, allowing the constant monitoring of older people by local and hospital health services.
Background: Caregivers represent the core of patients’ care in hospital structures, in the process of care and self-care after discharge. We aim to identify the factors that affect the strain of caring for orthopedic patients and how these factors are related to the quality of life of caregivers. We also want to evaluate the role of caregivers in orthopedic disease, focusing attention on the patient–caregiver dyad. Methods: A comprehensive search on PubMed, Cochrane, CINAHL and Embase databases was conducted. This review was reported following PRISMA statement guidance. Studies were selected, according to inclusion and exclusion criteria, about patient–caregiver dyads. For quality assessment, we used the MINORS and the Cochrane Risk of BIAS assessment tool. Results: 28 studies were included in the systematic review; in these studies, 3034 dyads were analyzed. Caregivers were not always able to bear the difficulties of care. An improvement in strain was observed after behavioral interventions from health-care team members; Conclusions: The role of the caregiver can lead to a deterioration of physical, cognitive and mental conditions. The use of behavioral interventions increased quality of life, reducing the strain in caregivers of orthopedic patients. For this reason, it is important to consider the impact that orthopedic disease has on the strain of the caregiver and to address this topic.