## 4 Smart Home Connectivity for New Elders
### Psychological Connectivity
#### 4.2.3 Relationship Connectivity  
A study indicates that what makes people happy in the end is not how much wealth and fame they have, but how deep and well connected they are to the people around them [69]. To some extent, human beings are social animals. Good interpersonal relationships enable people to understand, feel the benefits of being listened to, and gain comfort and encouragement. These are the keys to making the individual feel happy. For the elderly, due to the decline in social function, they are often trapped by loneliness and depression. They want to communicate with their children, get to know peers and friends, and find a sense of organizational belongings. These needs are particularly prominent for the elderly who are living alone or in an empty nest situation. Therefore, the smart home should also consider how to promote communication between the elderly and their children, the young generation, peers, community, organization and society, use online and offline methods to enrich the elderly's emotion and experience in love, friendship, and affection and help them integrate with the external world.
* **Family connectivity:** In a smart home, some devices that promote the interaction of the elderly and their family members, such as children and grandchildren, should be placed, like interactive home theater, multiplayer gaming equipment, interactive education product, festival mode of the home environment, etc. When their family members are not around, there should be some devices in smart homes to realize remote communication, such as voice calls, video calls, and emergency warnings.
* **Friendship connectivity:** Smart products and equipment which can promote social interaction for the elderly and their friends, neighbors, and peers should be added in-home environment. Compared to relatives and children who living away from them, the elderly's daily playmates and their neighborhood can respond much faster when the old people encounter some emergency situations and difficulties. Therefore, there should be some equipment in a smart home to connect the elderly with their friends and neighbors and promote the interactive assistance between their peers. At the same time, connecting older adults with those people who share the same hobbies and interests with them is also very important.
* **Couple connectivity:** For the elderly, their husband or wife is the person they have the closest connection at home. If any difficulties and problems appear in their life, they should be the first person to give support to each other. Therefore, the smart home should insert some devices and equipment to strengthen their communication and interaction. Some scenario models can be established and set to promote their emotions and relationship. Additionally, it can provide some marriage and dating platforms to help elderly people who are living a single life to find their love. It can help them live a happier life and stay away from depression and loneliness.
* **Pet connectivity:** A large number of elderly people have the habit of feeding pets, and the companionship of pets is also a psychological comfort to the old adults [70]. So smart homes can consider adding some products for pets to help the elderly release the burden of feeding, promote their interaction, and increase mutual fun. The products could include smart pet houses, pet anti-lost GPS instruments, pet toys, etc.
* **Artificial intelligence connectivity:** Virtual contact is everywhere due to the development and popularity of the Internet in the contemporary world. We can vigorously develop companion robots and use robot technology to provide healthcare and services support for the elderly. In addition, pet robots, smart toys, and online virtual relationships can also exert their effects to play as compensation for the absence of some family members, friendship, and couple relationships for older adults [71].