Improve Health of the Elderly People With M-Health and Technology

Advanced educational techniques with smartphones help medical staff to control diseases and
reduce their complications. Application of communication technologies in health services through changing
patients’ behaviors (especially self-care) has had a growing trend in the prevention, treatment, and medical
education of different age groups, especially the elderly. The support role of families for the elderly (despite
their rising life expectancy) is decreasing mainly due to the generation gap between youth and the elderly,
lower number of children, and higher life expectancy of the elderly. The purpose of this paper is to assess
and improve the health of the elderly people with m-health (use of mobile telecommunications and wireless
multimedia to integrate and develop successful health care delivery systems) and technology. Methods & Materials: The present study is a review study conducted through the search of reputable scien
-tific resources such as Scopus, ScienceDirect, Cochrane, SID, Elsevier, ProQuest as well as advanced search on
Google and Google Scholar in 2010-2017. It should be noted that a number of papers used in this study have
been systematically reviewed, which would contribute to the comprehensiveness of the research result. A
total of 65 papers and research papers were reviewed, of which 31 were used in this study. Findings indicate that the main challenge in using m-health in the elderly is the lack of electronic lit-eracy and phobia of technology. Resolving this problem requires the provision of infrastructures, codes and standards and more research in this area. Cellular technology (what mobile phone networks are based on) can play a key role in controlling the health of older diabetic patients (as an example) and using these technologies in Iran and other countries with acceptable justification can be used as a complementary tool in modern medicine. Mobile care not only is effective in reducing costs by providing easy access to care and its various aspects, it also improves patient’s relationships and care providers as well as increasing self-care effectiveness, especially in old age. Recent advances in mobile technology provide many opportunities for improving the health and well-being of individuals; for example, ability to monitor and rapidly report changes in their health status, education of a healthy lifestyle, quick diagnosis, facilitation in information exchange, and promotion of health care. This technology can be effective in the sense of autonomy and safety of the elderly and it can improve their quality of life. Also, the use of this tool can increase the satisfaction of the elderly and encourage them to continue their treatment and eventually prolong their lives