“Sleeping Like a log.. .”? Technology supporting the implementation of person-centered care at night

Abstract

Sleep is widely acknowledged to be vital to our well-being, yet its importance is often overlooked or taken for granted. However, it has been identified that older people living in long-term care facilities in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States experience poor sleep. However, the evidence-based development of technology has the potential to support the provision of person-centered care enabling residents to “sleep like a log” and experience restorative sleep, thus improving their ability to actively participate in everyday life. This chapter provides an insight into research that underpins the need for technology to support the provision of person-centered nighttime care. The issue of acceptance is related to research findings and four technological devices developed enabling older people to “sleep like a log” and supporting care staff are presented and discussed.