Helping older people: is there an app for that?

From social networks to health and fitness, everyday a lot of mobile devices applications (apps) are being developed. The variety and availability is such that people start to think that indeed “there's an app for everything”. Many of these apps address either problems or characteristics that affect older people and that are related with the ageing process (e.g. memory and visual aids apps). They can effectively help people and are under constant evolution. However, the lack of knowledge about these available technological aids can undermine its dissemination and consequently the help that people really receive, especially those who need it the most: older people. As such, a methodological search for available aid apps was made both in Google Play and in iTunes: 536 were selected, their classification analysed and the kind of help that they provide identified. It was noted that either in Google Play or in iTunes the apps’ categories are similar. Furthermore, it is not easily perceived what the type of help that each app can provide is and how is it provided. Hence, based on the results from the aforementioned methodological search, this paper proposes a new scalable tree-based classification methodology for aid apps, which is considered more suited to perceive what the available aid apps for mobile devices are. The existing apps were then characterized based on the proposed classification, to determine what the main aid that they provide is.This work is financed by the ERDF - European Regional Development Fund through the Operational Programme for Competitiveness and Internationalisation - COMPETE 2020 Programme, and by National Funds through the FCT- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) within project «POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006961», and by project Lab2PT - Landscapes, Heritage and Territory laboratory - AUR/04509 and FCT through national funds and when applicable of the FEDER co-financ

Session E-7: Is there an App for That?

This presentation will show a variety of different apps for tablets, smart phones, etc. that have educational uses. A number will be presented and demonstrated. Teachers who attend will also be asked to share apps that they use have found valuable, or simply ones that they like

Is There an App for That? Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and a New Environment of Conflict Prevention and Resolution

Katsh discusses the new problems that are a consequence of a new technological environment in healthcare, one that has an array of elements that makes the emergence of disputes likely. Novel uses of technology have already addressed both the problem and its source in other contexts, such as e-commerce, where large numbers of transactions have generated large numbers of disputes. If technology-supported healthcare is to improve the field of medicine, a similar effort at dispute prevention and resolution will be necessary

'Is there an app for that?' Exploring games and apps among heritage language families

Heritage language families inhabit multiple languages, literacies and cultures. Enabling children to participate in heritage language and culture has beneficial effects in terms of identity, and cognitive development. Games-based technologies are opening up avenues for playful engagement with heritage language and literacy, but little is known about how families use such technology to support heritage languages. This paper seeks to address this gap, reporting an original study of the relationship between heritage language families and games-based technology for heritage language and literacy development, in terms of attitude, attached values, and use. A survey involving 212 heritage language families, followed by 10 interviews, most of which included children, explored families’ attitude towards and use of games and apps for heritage language development, whilst focusing on how these technologies link to children’s self-awareness as heritage language speakers. Significantly, the study concludes that both children and parents differentiate between being ‘learners’ or ‘players’, and that collaborative family practices may help children overcome barriers not only in the way they access technology, but also how this technology impacts on their relationship with the heritage language

Is there an app for that? Mobile phones and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.

Purpose of review: Advances in technology coupled with increased penetration of mobile phones and smart devices are rapidly changing healthcare delivery. Mobile phone applications (‘apps’), text messages, and Internet platforms used alone or in combination are now providing interventions targeting people with multiple cardiovascular risk factors. The present article will review the emerging evidence regarding apps and discuss their potential role in providing secondary prevention interventions via mobile phones. Recent findings: Seven recent randomized controlled trials used text messages or apps for six to 12 months, with or without differing combinations of other technology platforms. All studies, involved cardiac and diabetes populations, and demonstrated at least one positive improvement to cardiovascular risk factor profiles. When measured, acceptability of the intervention was high. Summary: Mobile apps and technology can deliver positive outcomes in the management of cardiovascular risk factors. However, because of the complexity of combination interventions, it is difficult to determine the ‘active’ ingredient. A future challenge for researchers and clinicians will be to respond quickly to these rapidly evolving interventions in order to ensure the delivery of effective, evidence-based outcomes

Is There an App for That? A Review of Mobile Apps for Information Literacy Classes

(Forst paragraph) Our learners are as varied as the techniques we employ in information literacy classes. There is, however, one facet common to almost all of them, and it’s technology use. Let’s look at some recent numbers from the Pew Research Center. In the 18 to 29 age group, 94% of Americans own a smartphone, that number drops to just to 89% for ages 30 to 49.1 Tablets are also common, with 64% of Gen Xers and 54% of Millennials owning tablets.2 Spending time online also cuts across generations. In a March 2018 study, Pew reported that 77% of Americans go online daily, with 26% of that group stating that they are “almost constantly” online, and 43% noting that they go online several times a day.

Is There an App for That? Apps for Post-Secondary Students With Attention Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

We compiled a comprehensive list of apps related to coping with academic work by post-secondary students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by examining 23 recent sources. Most of these were based on the opinion of single individuals, including persons with ADHD and experts. To discover relatively common apps, we summed the number of sources that mentioned each app and then checked with the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store to ensure availability in the summer of 2020. In the process it became apparent that while most apps directly supported schoolwork (e.g., calendars, timers, reminders) there were a variety of apps that, while not directly related to schoolwork, were apps that can support academic achievement by dealing with daily life demands (not ADHD therapy or assessment). We categorized apps related to both schoolwork as well as to aspects of daily life demands that can make academic work easier. Here we present the 20 most frequently mentioned schoolwork related apps and the eight most frequently mentioned daily life demands apps. Our findings suggest that if access coordinators, campus disability service providers, ADHD coaches and students with ADHD focus solely on schoolwork related apps, they will be missing an important part of the equation. They need to broaden their scope to ensure that students also have the help they need to structure and manage their daily life responsibilities, rather than simply focusing on doing schoolwork

Anxiety — Is There an App for That? Considering Technology, Psychiatry, and Internet-Assisted Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Across Western countries, more than a third of people will have a mental health disorder over their lifetime; mood and anxiety disorders are the most common. The effectiveness of psychological interventions is well established. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), for example, is as effective for mild and moderate anxiety as medications; combined psychopharmacology and CBT is superior to either modality alone, suggesting a synergistic effect. However, CBT requires a major investment of time and resources. Thus, in public systems, CBT has limited availability and is subject to long waiting times; primary-care physicians and psychiatrists may not offer CBT