Opinions and Competencies of the Elderly and Disabled towards the Use of Mobile Devices and Applications

Abstract

Many mobile applications have been developed for the elderly and disabled in recent years. The elderly and disabled can check their health information and access health services easier through mHealth (Mobile Health) applications. The aim of this study is to determine the competencies and opinions of the elderly and disabled towards these mobile devices and the NEU-LIFE ASSIST ANDROID application developed by researchers. In this context, the frequency with which the elderly and disabled use these devices and the effectivity of these devices has been researched. Therefore, the competencies of the elderly and disabled using mHealth applications can be determined and this data can be used in further studies. When the study findings regarding whether the elderly and disabled perceive themselves to be competent in using mobile devices are examined, it is observed that they can call, message and access information through the internet faster. When their opinions are considered, they stated that mobile devices and the NEU-LIFE ASSIST ANDROID application made their lives easier and improved their ability to communicate. Individuals who stated they could easily meet their needs at home using their mobile devices thought it would be more beneficial for mobile applications that enable this to be developed. Future studies should consider the development of more mobile applications that can be used in the field of health and investigate the effectivity of such applications.