Page 159 - Petelin, Ana. 2021. Ed. Zdravje starostnikov / Health of the Elderly. Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press.
P. 159
https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-293-129-2.157-165
Comparison of applications
used to help the elderly
Liza Privošnik, Maša Sedej Knezović, Lara Šinkovec, Andrej Starc
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Abstract
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed the
existing infrastructure of medical practice, as clinics and hospitals
around the world have focused on virtual resources to help care for
patients. Technology has become critical to our wellbeing. Specifically,
the technology for older adults is addressed for content that the elderly
have the most needs in. The aim of this literature review is to present a
comparison of mobile applications designed to help older adults in their
basic life activities. Methods: A quantitative descriptive research method
with critical review of English scientific and professional literature was
performed using the following databases DiKul, PubMed, Researchgate
and SienceDirect. The literature search took place from March 2021
to April 2021. Literature inclusion criteria were articles published
between 2016 and 2021, open and free access and articles with clearly
defined objectives and methods in English language. The exclusion
criteria were articles published before 2016, articles with paid access
and articles that were not in English language. We reviewed 51 articles
and excluded 35 articles that didn’t match our criteria. We included 16
articles. Data was analyzed using a content analysis method. Results:
The results showed that there are a few different mobile applications for
different conditions in the market. All of them are designed to make life
easier for elderly. There is evidence that mobile applications are helping
elderly population as much as they help health workers. The benefits
of reviewed mobile applications are to help reduce rates of forgetting
and of medication errors, and also increases perceived independence
in managing medication. However, currently available applications for
smart mobile terminals used by the aged, which serve as the important
carrier of various internet services for elderly people, have obvious
defects in quantity, service range, and charm. Results show that in any
mobile application that we included in this review there is room for
Comparison of applications
used to help the elderly
Liza Privošnik, Maša Sedej Knezović, Lara Šinkovec, Andrej Starc
University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Abstract
Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed the
existing infrastructure of medical practice, as clinics and hospitals
around the world have focused on virtual resources to help care for
patients. Technology has become critical to our wellbeing. Specifically,
the technology for older adults is addressed for content that the elderly
have the most needs in. The aim of this literature review is to present a
comparison of mobile applications designed to help older adults in their
basic life activities. Methods: A quantitative descriptive research method
with critical review of English scientific and professional literature was
performed using the following databases DiKul, PubMed, Researchgate
and SienceDirect. The literature search took place from March 2021
to April 2021. Literature inclusion criteria were articles published
between 2016 and 2021, open and free access and articles with clearly
defined objectives and methods in English language. The exclusion
criteria were articles published before 2016, articles with paid access
and articles that were not in English language. We reviewed 51 articles
and excluded 35 articles that didn’t match our criteria. We included 16
articles. Data was analyzed using a content analysis method. Results:
The results showed that there are a few different mobile applications for
different conditions in the market. All of them are designed to make life
easier for elderly. There is evidence that mobile applications are helping
elderly population as much as they help health workers. The benefits
of reviewed mobile applications are to help reduce rates of forgetting
and of medication errors, and also increases perceived independence
in managing medication. However, currently available applications for
smart mobile terminals used by the aged, which serve as the important
carrier of various internet services for elderly people, have obvious
defects in quantity, service range, and charm. Results show that in any
mobile application that we included in this review there is room for
