Enabling aid in remote care for elderly people via mobile devices: the MobiCare case study

The use of smartphones has become popular among elderly people in recent decades. In Brazil, more than half of the population over 60 has a mobile phone for personal use. The design of friendly and accessible interfaces allows the inclusion of these users in digital environments. However, a significant portion of this population remains unresponsive to technologies due to cultural, behavioral, physiological or cognitive issues. Digital isolation prevents these people from having access to tools that support daily activities and communication with family and friends, and these are important issues for quality of life in old age. This work aimed to investigate the acceptance of a technological assistant, modeled and developed as an application for smartphones, opening a communication channel and contributing to the care of digitally disengaged elderly people. Instruments such as questionnaires, interviews with gerontology specialists, interface prototypes and usability tests were used to collaborate on the design and evaluation of the application proposals. The application has implemented features that help to schedule medications, remind about favorite TV shows and send audio messages. The results point to the acceptance of the application as a tool that allows the evaluated elderly people to have a communication channel and reveal a tendency of use by relatives who contribute remotely with the care of the elderly.