S-Mobil 100 – Mobile until old age. Seamless mobility chains for the removal, avoidance and overcoming of barriers
Principal Investigator: Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Andreas Kruse
Project Coordinator: Dr. Judith Beil
Project Team:
Institute of Information Systems and New Media, University of Siegen
The Group e.V. – International Institute for Socio-Informatics, Bonn
BAGSO Service GmbH (German National Association of Senior Citizens‘ Organizations)
Infoware GmbH
City of Siegen
District Siegen-Wittgenstein
DRK-Kreisverband (German Red Cross district association) Siegen-Wittgenstein e.V .
Period: 01.02.2012-31.01.2015
Financed by: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research
Project Description
Mobility possesses a high individual and social value and it can be seen as an essential precondition for autonomy and social participation. Health restrictions, decreasing motivity as well as sensory losses can constrain mobility in old age. The loss of mobility is often accompanied by a loss of quality of life. Therefore it is necessary to minimize existing problems of and barriers to mobility and to develop assisting devices which support, improve or restore mobility in older people’s lives.
With the help of a project sponsorship of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, a platform based on internet and mobile communication shall be developed, which is supposed to indicate different mobility and service offers as well as existing forms of local cooperation. This project takes place in the model region Siegen-Wittgenstein (Germnay) and will be carried out until 2015. This offer addresses especially older persons. Additionally it is planned to install an inter-generational network of old and young persons in order to open the programme for voluntary cooperation.
Apart from a mobile application it is planned to provide a collaboratively used internet website as well as a receiving device (tv or computer) in the user’s homes. Therefore users, seniors’ agencies, community service points and task groups of the German Red Cross are involved from the beginning.
Users of the mobility platform can look for accessible means of transport like public transportation, taxis and private lifts, publish requests or private offers for transportation. Additionally, the system should include information on further services, i.e. caretaker or shopping services. At a later stage it could possibly be expanded and applied by the German Red Cross nationwide.
By combining quantitative and qualitative methods, the Institute of Gerontology expects new insights into the significance of mobility-enhancing technology for leading a “good life” in old age.
The quantitative part of the study is supposed to address expectations, uncertainness regarding the use of technology as well as experiences in this respect in different age cohorts. Additionally, the effects caused by the introduction of the new mobility platform will be examined from a gerontological perspective. This will hopefully enable us to draw conclusions concerning the way mobility-supporting technology contributes to quality of life, social participation, autonomy and personal responsibility in old age.
Further information (in German)
Flyer of the project (in German)
