A Smartphone Application Designed to Engage the Elderly in Home-Based Rehabilitation

As life expectancy increases, it is imperative that the elderly take advantage of the benefits
of technology to remain active and independent. Mobile health applications are widely
used nowadays as they promote a healthy lifestyle and self-management of diseases,
opening new horizons in the interactive health service delivery. However, adapting these
applications to the needs and requirements of the elderly is still a challenge. This article
presents a smartphone application that is part of a multifactorial intervention to support
older people with balance disorders. The application aims to enable users to self-evaluate
their activity and progress, to communicate with each other and, through strategically
selected motivational features, to engage with the system with undiminished interest
for a long period of time. Mock-up interfaces were evaluated in semi-structured focus
groups and interviews that were performed across three European countries. Further
evaluation in the form of four pilot studies with 160 participants will be performed and
qualitative and quantitative measures will be used to process the feedback about the use
of the application.