Posted: July 6, 2023
Many older adults greatly cherish the homes they’ve lived in most of their lives. And it’s no wonder. Our homes are the places where we gather with family for various celebrations, tend to the gardens that bring so much pride, and where many other wonderful memories are created.
Technology can also serve to make their homes just a little bit more wonderful. In order to do that, we, at Rhythms Home Care, have put together a list of apps for seniors that we think are worth trying!
Enjoy books without having to read
This app is great for older adults living with vision trouble, but who still desire to be entertained and educated by fictional stories, autobiographies, books on history, etc. Thankfully, they can listen to high-quality audio versions of their old favorites as well as exciting new titles. There are a few different ways they can access Audible’s humongous catalog. We’ll mention two: they can pay $7.95 a month and get UNLIMITED access to hundreds of thousands of audiobooks, or they can buy each audiobook individually and keep it for life. Both offers come with a FREE 30-day trial.
About 40 percent of adults over 65 have a Facebook account and that means they have done most of the work needed to use Facebook Messenger. Messenger is a free app that connects people through their Facebook profiles.
Join with family and friends in video chats with one person or a group, and send text messages and photos. Older adults can explore optional features like digital images while on a video call that are sure to get a giggle from grandchildren.
Hear and see your loved ones from anywhere
Gone are the days where older adults could only hear their loved ones’ voices over the phone if they lived far away; no more having to imagine what their friends and family are doing or talking about, they can see everything with their own eyes. What’s more, if an older adult and their loved one both have Skype, they can chat for free from anywhere in the world.
Grocery shop, without leaving your house
Instacart is for the days when older adults don’t feel like going grocery shopping, or for some other reason, they can’t. With this app, they can shop from some of the most popular grocery outlets like Costco, Walmart, and CVS. After they choose all their items, Instacart will send a personal shopper to get everything they’ve requested and then deliver their items right to their door. The benefit of this is that older adults can conserve energy for the things they’re passionate about.
Game nights can now be virtual thanks to the Words with Friends app. This multiplayer wordplay game lets older adults challenge friends and family for a fun evening at home. There is also a chat feature for friendly banter during the game/s. There’s also a feature to play the game in single-player mode to practice and/or improve mental dexterity
Older adults who either don’t feel comfortable driving or don’t want the upkeep of owning a car can benefit from a ride-hailing service like Uber which is available in most areas. Using the Uber app is easy and convenient. Through the phone’s GPS, Uber allows older adults to schedule a pickup and dropoff to any location. There is also the ability to schedule a ride for another person, making it handy for children and family members to schedule a ride for their loved one. Uber is free to download and the cost of rides vary by distance, time of day and demand for drivers.
A nice addition to Uber is its food delivery option. When older adults download one app, they can have two services – transportation as well as food delivery. Many local restaurants are featured in the app and older adults can order food for delivery from any of the restaurants in the app. The average delivery time for an Uber Eats order is just 30 minutes, making dinner a snap and favorite foods accessible anytime.
Just speak, and your favorite music will play
The Alexa app can do many things, but we put it on this list because of its great music feature. It’s really simple to use and has a gigantic catalog of great music for older adults. If they’re ever in the mood to listen to a particular style of music from their favorite era, all they have to do is say, “Alexa, play pop music from the 1950s,” and ta-da, their music will fill the room. They’ll enjoy the freedom of listening to what they want when they want!
Age at home, with help
This last item isn’t an app, however, it’s something that can greatly enrich the lives of older adults: the assistance of a personal caregiver who understands and goes with their rhythms of life. Rhythms Home Care has been around for 22 years and has many happy customers in the Denver Metro Area. Whether an older adult needs medical or non-medical assistance; physical, mental, or emotional support; 4-hour or 24-hour assistance, Rhythms Home Care is ready to help older adults age in their own homes.
© 2023 Rhythms Home Care
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