Top 5 Must-have Mobile Apps For Seniors in 2019
Date: 3/25/2019

Smartphone usage has penetrated almost all areas of our lives. The usage of smartphones is multifold.

In addition to ensuring 24/7 connectivity and mobility, mobile apps add to the utility factor of smartphones – in essence, smartphones are tools that not only aid but also improve our lifestyles in more ways than one.

This is of extreme importance when it comes to ensuring safety for the elderly both inside and outside their homes.

Technology Adoption Rate among the Elderly

Everyone is riding the “smart” technology wave. And why not? Smart devices are user-friendly and intuitive, and they make life very easy. However, technology adoption is not even among all demographics – in particular among the seniors.

There is no doubt that technology adoption among seniors is steadily increasing – the percentage of seniors who owned a smartphone in 2013 has risen from 18% to 42% now. While it is a jump, the percentage increase is still far lower than younger demographics.

How can Mobile Apps Help the Elderly Stay Safe

There is no dearth of mobile apps in the market today. This includes apps for seniors. If you’ve thought of an app that could make your life easier for your elderly parents, chances are, it probably already exists.

Health safety is a major concern when it comes to the elderly – if they have a health condition, monitoring and ensuring they take their meds in time is critical.

However, good health is not just limited to physical health, mental health is just as important. Mobile apps that stimulate the brain are a great option for keeping the mind sharp

Another important use of mobile apps centers of ensuring the elderly are independent – if self-driving is not possible, seniors can use mobile apps to book cabs so they are no longer dependent of their children or extended families for mobility.

5 Must-Have Apps for Seniors

If you care for an elderly relative or if you are worried about the safety of your elderly parents, here are five important apps that you should seriously consider downloading.

Medisafe

If your parent or elderly relative has a health condition, then you probably worry about them taking their pills on time. It’s not always possible to monitor or track in real-time or in-person, if they are taking their pills.

Which is why an app such as Medisafe is a great medical app to download – it not only functions as a pill reminder, but it also comes with a number of other features that are extremely useful.

• Medisafe helps with keeping track of daily pill dosages.
• An alarm goes off reminding the user that it is medication time.
• The app helps in monitoring the user’s health.
• It allows for easy sharing of health details of the user with the physician and other people in the care group.

Medical ID

Medical ID is a poignant app to have especially in the event of an emergency. The free app version is ad supported, however, the great thing about this app is that it allows users to create a medical profile on their phone which is accessible from a locked screen.

By accessing the app, first responders on the scene can easily and quickly access critical health information such as bloody type, health condition(s), allergies, medical contacts which can not only help save time, but more importantly it can help save a patient's life!

5Star Urgent Response

5Star Urgent Response makes it one this list because it is a very popular medical alert system for seniors. In addition to being easily accessible via GreatCall’s personal emergency devices, the app can also be accessed from the user’s smartphone.

To use the medical alert system the user is required to subscribe to the service. Upon reaching the 5Star Urgent Response staff, they go ahead and notify 911 and emergency contacts.

WebMD

The WebMD app is another great tool and must-have tool to download. Using the app, which is available in browser and app format, users can quickly and easily access any health-related information.

You can research health conditions by checking the symptoms with the Symptoms Checker, and even access information about the treatment options and drugs used to treat the condition – best part is that you can do all of this while on-the-go.

The app can also be used to locate their nearest physician or treatment facilities in case, you come up positive for any of the health conditions.

Uber App

As mentioned above, if your elderly parent or relative is unable to drive for themselves, it does not necessarily have to impact their independence – they can just call Uber.

Uber is a cost-effective ride booking service that seniors can use for grocery shopping, to get to medical appointments, or for any other activity without having to rely on anyone else.