Mobile applications in an aging society:Status and trends Abstract Today, many countries, including several European states, the USA, and Japan, are aging; both the number and the percentage of elderly people are increasing.。 To create a cohesive and inclusive inter generational society, technological products and services must be adapted to the needs and preferences of these citizens.。 Mobile phones are promising tools to improve the quality of life for the elderly.。 This work presents a review of the status of mobile functionalities and applications that can satisfy the requirements and needs of older people and improve their quality of life.。 This analysis of the state of the art enables us to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current systems as well as discover trends and promising Mobile applications future lines of research.。 This paper outlines several needs that should be met to improve the quality of research in this area.。 This work provides a basis for researchers, designers, and mobile phone service providers to think about the existing needs of the elderly, the developing trends in the field and the opportunities that mobile applications offer to improve the quality of life of the elderly and to support a cohesive and inclusive society.49045
1.。 Introduction
New social protections, improvements in the quality of health care and better conditions of living and working lead to people living longer than in the past, and old age is becoming a reality for an ever-increasing number of people.。 Together with the decrease in mortality, the decline in fertility rates is a key driver of population aging.。 At the same time, the lifestyle, potential and expectations of older people are changing together with their increasing life expectancy.。 People are living healthier and more active lives (Ministry, 2008).。
The population of the European Union (EU) is aging, and indeed, it is already the world’s oldest region.。 In 2000, there were 61 million people aged 65 and over in the EU – 16% of the total population compared with 34 million in 1960 (Walter, 2004).。 In Spain, the average age of the population in 2010 is 40 years; in 2025, it will be 45.。9, and in 2049, the average age will be 48.。2 years (Qualitas,2010).。 Fig.。 1 shows the age pyramid in the EU.。 The share of population of 65 and over was around 22.。5% in 2005 (Eurostat, 2008).。According to Eurostat, in 2050, the share of those of 65 and over is projected to increase to a 30% of the EU population.。 Today, 17% of the total population in Spain is over 65 years old.。 According to data from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) the percentage will be 32% in 2049 (INE, 2010).。
Products and services must be adapted to the needs and preferences of this increasing number of elderly people as well as to the requirements of the new economic context.。 At the same time, a strategy addressing population aging should take advantage of the potential of older people and help to create a cohesive and inclusive intergenerational society (Ministry, 2008).。 In this context, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has been considered an important tool to help in creating this cohesive and inclusive society.。 New terms have been coined, such as “Gerontechnology,” which refers to technology that meets the needs of an aging society (i.。e.。, research, development, and design in the engineering disciplines based on scientific knowledge about the aging process).。 More formally, gerontechnology is defined as the study of technology for ensuring good health, full social participation, and independent living throughout the entire life span, as long as it may extend (Harrington and Harrington,2000).。 Some of the specific areas of research in gerontechnology include the workplace, the home and independent living, health care and home health care, and caregiver support (Comeau, 2005) .。 Among the ICTs, it is worth noting the developments in mobile communications spearheaded by the rapid penetration of the mobile devices, including 3G technology, mobile applications, data and video, voice, storage capacity, downloadable ring tones and music, mobile clips, and personalization.。 This article analyzes if current mobile communications, devices and applications can be considered important tools to support an inclusive society.。 With this objective in mind, this work presents a review of the status of mobile functionalities and applications that can satisfy the requirements and needs of older people and improve their quality of life (QoL).。 The concept of QoL allows us to select the relevant aspects when analyzing the impact of mobile functionalities.。 This work also studies the present and future roles of mobile applications in an aging society, as well as the future trends.。 This article provides a global vision of the status and trends of mobile applications in an aging society.。 老龄化社会中手机的应用现状英文文献和中文翻译:http://www.youerw.com/fanyi/lunwen_51866.html