Mobile Applications for Cognitive and Emotional Health Monitoring in Geriatric Populations: A Review

The growing incidence of cognitive and emotional disorders among the geriatric population necessitates effective monitoring and intervention strategies. Mobile health applications have emerged as promising tools due to their accessibility, affordability, and potential to support cognitive decline, depression, and anxiety in older adults. However, current applications predominantly address cognitive and emotional domains separately, lacking integrated, holistic approaches tailored to the unique needs of elderly users. Significant research gaps persist in personalization, cultural adaptation, and user engagement, with most applications developed without active participation from older adults. This results in usability challenges and limited long-term adherence. Moreover, existing studies are largely confined to high-income countries, limiting the generalizability of findings across diverse cultural and socioeconomic contexts. This review employs a systematic secondary research methodology, following the PRISMA model, analyzing over 100 peer-reviewed articles and authoritative sources retrieved from Scopus, Google Scholar, and specialized healthcare databases. The study identifies critical gaps and opportunities for advancing mobile health technologies for geriatric cognitive and emotional well-being. Results indicate substantial potential for mobile applications to improve geriatric health outcomes, contingent on addressing current limitations in design inclusivity and contextual adaptation. Future research should prioritize participatory, user- centered design approaches that integrate cognitive and emotional health metrics within culturally adaptable platforms. Large-scale, longitudinal validation studies are essential to confirm effectiveness and sustainability. Through these enhancements, mobile health applications can evolve into comprehensive, inclusive tools that foster cognitive resilience and emotional well-being in aging populations globally.