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“Mobile Age”: New project group in the district / Next meeting mid-June

Biljana Neloska, 31.05.2017, Weser-Report

The project “Mobile Age” aims to improve the lives of older adults. After the first phase it is going on in Hemelingen now. Participants are still needed.

HEMELUNGEN The project “Mobile Age” aims to support senior citizens access to public services through the use of mobile technologies. In the district of Osterholz the research team from the Institute for Information management Bremen together with older adults worked on an app.

Since the beginning in June 2016 participants and researchers have regularly met in a core group and jointly developed a prototype for a digital district guide. “Together with the participants we have worked on the selection of the content, the collection of data as well as in the interface design. The result is a map based digital district guide for older adults in Osterholz, says Ulrike Gerhard from the project team.

Now it is continued in Hemelingen. “The development and involvement process in Hemelingen is going to be coordinated with a project group, that will ensure that the needs and interests of different groups of older adults from the different neighbourhoods are going to be considered, Gerhard says. In the beginning relevant topics have to be identified as well as existing data needs to be validated and supplemented. Therefore, Internet or computer skills are not required, rather it is about finding out, what issues are relevant to the older citizens in Hemelingen and how to address these with an application. Everyone can participate as expert of him or herself and of his or her environment, Gerhard emphasizes. Having knowledge about the district is an advantage for the data collection phase. In another phase, representations will be the task. “In this phase people will be needed that are interested in the question of how to prepare and represent the content of an online application. Here Internet, computer, smartphone or tablet skills are an advantage, says Gerhard. People that have been involved in the first phase and still want to participate are welcome. “In order to create an application that is relevant to a large group of people, we are trying to involve as diverse people as possible”, Gerhard explains.

The next meeting is on the 13^th June at 10.30 am in the church in Hemelingen.