On the 6th March, Professor Niall Hayes and Dr Haina Zhang from the department of Organisation, Work and Technology, held their interactive event ‘Mobile Age’, at the fifth season of Campus in the City, in the St Nicholas Arcade Lancaster.

Campus in the City is a key part of Lancaster University’s outreach and public engagement programme, bringing world-class research and projects to life. This five-week programme commenced on 2^nd March and will continue until 6^th April, there is an array of exciting activities for all.

Professor Hayes showcased his engaging app, Mobile Age, which tackles loneliness for older adults and helps reduce barriers for social participation. During this interactive session, Niall demonstrated to the public how the app works, which highlights information on public transport, public facilities, volunteering opportunities and events within local communities.

Professor Hayes led the team of researchers to develop the app. He said: “It is fantastic to see that the word is spreading about this new app which is free to use and should go some way to better connect older people with their communities.

“The app has been designed to be purposefully simple so should be easy to use, and family, friends, neighbours and carers can access it on behalf of a friend or relative to help them plan their weeks. It is designed to reduce cognitive strain by putting valuable information at the users’ fingertips that would otherwise take 100 clicks to reach, or a lot of time and effort to find out in person or by telephone.

“In our new digital world, it is so important that older adults don’t get left behind or excluded – and apps like Mobile Age ensure that they get the best of both worlds. The ease of access to information, but without replacing any face-to-face contact.”

For more information about the app, Mobile Age please visit: https://www.mobile-age.eu/about/the-concept.html