Today’s communication is mobile. Computer and mobile technology offer great potential to connect people and to disseminate tailored information. A lot of everyday interaction between people is via cell phone or smart phone applications. Keeping up with the technological changes and new developments becomes the key challenge, in particular for the older generation.
Take the smartphone: It is a versatile tool that can give users location info, remind them to do things like take medication, connect with family and friends, find local deals—and of course make calls. The health and wellness sector is developing applications to capitalize on this domain. The market size for mobile health (mHealth) applications is estimated to double in 2012 to $1.3 billion from $713 million in 2011(i).
For an aging population—in the United States alone, individuals 65 and older numbered 40.3 million in 2010 and will grow to 72 million by 2030(ii) —these developments promise to help people stay active and connected to friends, family, and support networks, as well as make health care more cost-effective. The deployment of mHealth technology, both by lowering health care costs and by reducing the economic burden on caregivers, is estimated to save between $1.96 billion and $5.83 billion in health care costs worldwide by 2014(iii).
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SOURCE: AARP International