As we move further in the 21st century, technology has also progressed far more than anyone could have imagined. The trouble with this is, people who lived most of their life during the 20th century are getting behind. According to statistics, over 80% of people 75 and above in Europe have never been online.
There are many reasons for this, from mobility issues to technology not being senior-friendly. Luckily, more and more companies are catering to the senior population. Below are the best apps for seniors that are available for download:
Helpful Tools
There are dozens of tools that are helpful for the day-to-day living of seniors. Here are two perfect for the elderly:
LastPass
Everything needs a password, emails, Facebook, and even games. What’s more, password requirements are getting harder and harder: minimum of 8 characters, uppercase letters, numbers, etc. With the LastPass app, you can generate passwords to be used. It also remembers and fills in passwords on your phone.
A plugin version is also available for browsers, so you don’t get any troubles with passwords on the best laptop for seniors too.
Magnifying Glass with Flashlight
From reading menus to the nutrition facts on the boxes of groceries, words are getting smaller and smaller. To help out seniors, there’s an app that can magnify these words plus it comes with a flashlight.
Daily Reminders
It’s very common to become forgetful as one age. Good thing there are now apps that can set daily reminders on a wide variety of activities, here are two important ones:
Meal Reminder
As people get older, their appetite declines. It’s very important that you continue to eat regularly. Sometimes, it’s not even about not feeling hungry but just completely forgetting about food altogether. The Meal Reminder app helps you keep on top of your nutrition. Aside from setting reminders to eat and drink on the regular, it can also be used for meal planning and tracking.
Pill Monitor or Pillboxie
Another thing seniors tend to forget is to drink their medicine regularly. With either Pill Monitor or Pillboxie, you’ll get the reminder that you need for which medication to take. With Pillboxie, reminders will still alert you even if your phone is asleep or is not connected to the internet.
To Connect
Communication and connections are highly important for just about everyone. It’s common for elderly people to feel isolated and alone. So these apps can really help in keeping them connected with friends and family.
Facebook Messenger
Almost everyone has a Facebook Messenger and this app is pretty easy to navigate. Aside from being able to send messages, it also offers audio and video calls. What’s more, group chats are also available.
Words With Friends
If you feel like chatting or you feel like there is nothing to talk about, you can still connect with friends and family through games. Words With Friends is just like scrabble but it allows you to play online. It’s fun, boosts skills, and connects you to friends.
For Entertainment
The best apps for seniors and the elderly also include those that can fill and enrich their time.
Audible
Reading is a favorite pastime across all ages, however, this can be a challenge among seniors, especially those with poor eyesight. Audible has thousands of titles that seniors can listen to. There’s fiction, non-fiction, classics, contemporary, and more.
Spotify
Music brings people together and it can also bring forth special memories. Spotify is a streaming app that can allow seniors to listen to songs of their childhood or teenage years. One of the best things about Spotify is it also has good playlists that are dedicated to different years or decades and genres.
Final Thoughts
Thankfully, app producers are tapping into the elderly demographic. You can choose from many of the best apps for seniors that can help with everyday living, providing connections, and giving entertainment.
Aside from downloading the best apps for seniors, it’s important to get a device that is also senior-friendly. Make sure that the tablet, computer, or mobile phone that you have has an ergonomic design and a large display. Or else, it would be hard to navigate senior applications.
