Smartphone Savvy: 4 Best Apps for Seniors
Now more than ever, the smartphone app marketplace is offering a selection of the best apps for seniors, one of the fastest growing demographic of internet and smartphone users. According to the Pew Research Center, in 2012, 53 percent of seniors used the internet regularly for the first time in history. As of 2014, that number increased to 59 percent. Also, 18 percent of seniors surveyed reported owning a smartphone.
While many apps are useful and entertaining for seniors, including weather reports, news, word games and more, the following apps for seniors offer solutions to frustrations and challenges this demographic uniquely faces.
- My Medical
As seniors age, medical histories become longer. This makes it much more difficult for seniors to remember names of doctors and prescription pills, dates and times. With My Medical, which costs only $4.99 on the iTunes app store, seniors can store their entire medical history and that of family members on their smartphone, accessible with a few screen touches. The app will automatically input doctor contact information when prompted and also set up automatic appointment reminders in the smartphone’s calendar. Users have the ability to export their information through email, utilizing charts and graphs to track medical history. The app is entirely secure, only accessible by the user.
- Pillboxie
In the same vein, seniors with a lengthy number of daily prescriptions may find it trying to remember the exact time to take each pill. They may even tend to forget if a certain pill was already consumed. Pillboxie will put an end to this struggle. Costing only $0.99, Pillboxie lets seniors place pills in a virtual pillbox, checking a box when the medication has been taken each day. The app also reminds seniors of the time and keeps prescriptions on track.
- Red Panic Button
This potentially life-saving app can be had for only $2.99 on the iTunes app store. Users enter a customized list of emergency contacts. When a senior experiences a fall or other health emergency, pressing the red panic button on the smartphone screen sends an instant text message to their emergency contacts, complete with the senior’s current GPS location on Google Maps. Emergency notifications can also be set up to post to Twitter, Facebook or initiate a phone call to an emergency contact.
- Instant Blood Pressure
Seniors who must constantly monitor blood pressure ratings to ensure their health concerns are under control will love the convenience of this app. To measure blood pressure, users place their right index finger over the camera lens and hold the bottom of the phone to their chest for 40 seconds. While the results are not medically guaranteed, at only $4.99, it’s worth it to have an instant method of checking blood pressure literally at the fingertips of seniors.
Technology is developing daily, so why not use it for your personal benefit? Utilize these four best apps for seniors and streamline your life, reducing your stress in the process.
Source: http://www.pewinternet.org/2014/04/03/older-adults-and-technology-use/
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