چكيده فارسي :
Background: The mHealth ecosystem includes older people, their caregivers and family members, as well as health providers. Those are as following:
Health Providers: mHealth programs can take advantage of health providers’ pivotal and respected role in providing healthcare monitoring and information. However, this may not be feasible in all settings. The United Nations Population Fund Ageing (UNFPA) in the Twenty-First Century report mentions that some older people “often experienced the attitudes or lack of expertise of [healthcare] professionals as barriers to accessing adequate [healthcare].” This was not reported for older individuals interviewed from Northern and Western Europe or Canada. Thus, using a thorough understanding of existing health system dynamics, the relationship between older individuals and providers, and the perceptions of older individuals on receiving health services, are necessary to inform an mHealth aging program before selecting providers as end users.
Caregivers and Family: Some older people may be affected by conditions that influence their ability to easily interact with mobile phones, such as impaired hearing or dementia. Consequently, mHealth interventions that are focused on helping caregivers and family members could be valuable. For example, a community of friends and family of an older individual can use a mobile phone application to help maintain a schedule of caregiving activities.
Older People: A recent New York Times article articulated one of the barriers to the uptake of mHealth in the older community: “What’s Wi-Fi and Do I Really Need a Smartphone?” The article described how many older adults feel fearful or anxious about technology, or embarrassed about their lack of understanding.6 Over time, individuals already comfortable and accustomed to having mobile technologies in their hands will surpass one of the arbitrary thresholds by which society considers them “old.” Characteristics of the older population will change, for example, as the Baby Boomer generation in the developed world surpasses age 65. However, there is still a large portion of the current older population that is resistant to using mobile technology for a variety of reasons. Understanding the perceptions of older individuals regarding technology will be critical for adoption to increase.
