title: The "Free from Housing Accessibility Problems" App.
abstract: The present study concerns the development of a computerized tool targeting housing accessibility issues. A user-centered approach involving professionals from the housing sector and senior citizens from four European countries resulted in a fully functional prototype of a mobile application (app) including an apartment database. The app raises awareness on housing accessibility and has the potential to support decision making and strengthen all citizens regardless of functional capacity to be more active in their endeavors for a satisfying housing solution. Further refinements and additional features are needed to enhance the potential benefits; they include addressing potential challenges facing senior citizens, developing interactive features that allow users to provide input and adapting to different national contexts to make the app applicable for the European market.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Oskar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Jonsson
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Slaug
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haak
authors.affiliation: miThings AB, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Knut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mårtensson
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Steven M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Ageing Research, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Oswald
authors.affiliation: Italian National Institute of Health and Science on Aging (INRCA), Ancona, Italy.
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rimland
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Rehabilitation, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia.
authors.forename: Signe
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tomsone
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Torbjörn
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Svensson
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iwarsson
mesh_terms: D001107:Architectural Accessibility; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005060:Europe; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D063731:Mobile Applications