Senior people are more tech-savvy than ever and the usage of smartphones has grown to 53% among the 65+ category. Check this list of the best apps for senior citizens to help make their lives easier and better.
As we all know, technology is an integral part of our lives now. From personal computers to mobile phones, everything nowadays is mostly digital. And, on top of that, it’s so important to be able to stay in the loop with friends and family.
- Applications are a great way to help you in your everyday tasks
- There are countless applications in the Google Play Store that are easy to download and operate
- Your life can be more vibrant and full if you are willing to learn new things.
Some of us may have a bit of a hard time adjusting to new ways of doing things. Elderly people especially can sometimes get overwhelmed when learning new technologies. And that’s understandable! After all, the world has changed so much 一 and keeps on changing.
I do believe though, that even in this ever-changing world, the elderly are keeping up–learning what they need to know to manage details in everyday life. There are so many different types of applications available in the Google Play Store, and older adults are putting many of them to good use.
Now, many seniors see their phones as just a way of keeping in touch with their loved ones through calls or texts. And those are great features. But there is more to those phones than just making calls. In fact, phone calls just scratch the surface of mobile technology.
Older adults can do a lot more with their phones and I’m here to show you just that. Today’s technology has solutions catered to different needs. Ever heard of Android phones for people with dementia? Well, they actually exist.
In this article, I’ll walk you through the Apps seniors can leverage to make their lives easier and better. But before I reveal the best apps for Senior Citizens, let me first show you how to install the applications on the Google Play Store. The steps are very easy to follow, so don’t worry. Here is a quick guide:
Step 1: Go to the Google Play Store
Step 2: On the search bar, type in the name of the application you would like to download:
Step 3: Click on the name of the application:
Step 4: Click on the Install button and wait for the application to be installed. It will look like this once it is done.
Step 5: Now just click on the open button and you will be directed to the application that you have downloaded:
You can now enjoy your application! It’s very easy and fun to do! What do you think?
Now I’ll list the apps for senior citizens you can install from the Google Play Store right away. So, without any further ado, let’s get started.
The 3 Best Apps for Senior Citizens
Smartphones educate, entertain, and even make life easier for senior citizens. These apps can cover all their shopping and reading habits, as well as their health, fitness, and security. With unique features, these apps for senior citizens can help them to more easily achieve their various tasks.
- Medisafe Bill & Med Reminder
- Lumosity: Brain Training
- Focus – Train Your Brain
- Magnifying Glass with Flashlight
- Kindle
- Evernote
- WebMD
- Skype
1. Medisafe Bill & Med Reminder
Some older adults may have to take multiple medications at different times of the day. It is easy to forget to take your medication or get refills on time. That’s why Medisafe Bill & Med Reminder is one of the must-have apps for senior citizens to have on their smartphones.
This app is considered one of the best free reminder apps for Type 2 Diabetes patients. Do you often forget to take your medication on time? Don’t worry, this app alerts you when it is time to take your medicine.
If you sleep through or miss a notification, you can also ping your caretaker to get an alert. Medisafe’s proprietary Just-In-Time (JIT) Intervention technology ensures you get support and adjust your experience for better results to lead a healthy life.
2. Lumosity: Brain Training
Lumosity’s cognitive training program is conducted to have fun and interactive sessions to train your brain and study how your brain works in different situations. The program consists of games that are uniquely designed to exercise your memory, flexibility, and problem-solving skills.
Your brain is active even during your sleep hours. However, certain activities can engage your brain, which leads to improving memory, cognitive function, and creativity.
The apps for senior citizens include 40+ engaging activities that help people to organize their thoughts and make appropriate decisions. Playing these games may also be more beneficial when studying. The app is now available in different languages, so you can go to the language setting to change them.
3. Focus – Train Your Brain
Focus will enhance your brain’s cognitive function, give it a try with the Focus – Train Your Brain app. A study from the National Library of Medicines shows that playing crossword puzzles delays the onset of memory decline in persons who developed dementia. The apps for senior citizens can help you put your cognitive skills to the test with daily training to provoke skills, such as memory, concentration, and coordination, as well as improve your problem-solving skills.
The application of these brain training activities has been designed with the collaboration of psychologists and neuroscience professionals. The app itself keeps track of sessions you played during the last week, month, or even year. Additionally, it offers you a cognitive summary that helps you follow your progress.
Learning new skills and participating in new engaging activities may help your brain function. Try to play with your partner or friend, which may be a mentally engaging leisure activity.
4. Magnifying Glass with Flashlight
Features
– High Contrast Mode available
– Magnify ability from 1.0X to 5.0X
– Save captured pictures in the gallery
Among the best apps for seniors, this app is the most talked-about. As you get older, it can be difficult to read the small print because your eyes just aren’t what they used to be. Glasses can help, and many of us rely on them, but sometimes you need a little more help. What if I tell you your phone can also help you with that?
The apps for senior citizens can help you read the fine print in a newspaper or a menu in a dark restaurant. It will automatically open your flashlight, then your screen acts as a magnifying lens for easier reading.
It’s very easy to download from Google Play Store and it’s very popular. Try it out yourself. The next time you are dining out and can’t read anything on the menu, just bring your phone out and choose this application. You will have your instant magnifying glass.
Is it free or paid?
The free version contains ads. The app also has in-app purchases.
Get the app on the Google Play Store by clicking the button below.
5. Kindle
Features
– Free and paid books available
– Built-in dictionary, Google, Wikipedia
– Sync your ebooks
– Preview books before purchase
– Customized reading experience
I am, and always will be a bookworm. When I am reading, I am taken to different worlds and meet different amazing characters. Reading is an awesome pastime for a lot of people, not just seniors.
Amazon Kindle makes it to our list of best apps for seniors. If you are one of those who can’t put a good book down when you start reading it, then this is the best app for you. Made by Amazon and introduced in 2011, Kindle is their way of bringing books to anyone with a phone.
You can read all kinds of stories, from fantasy to romance to thrillers, to inspirational, wherever you are–at home or while waiting for the bus. And the best part is, you can enlarge the texts as big as you want for easier reading.
Is it free or paid?
An unlimited subscription to the app is available on the Amazon website for free for the first 30 days, after which a monthly charge of $9.99 per month has to be paid.
Get the app on the Google Play Store by clicking the button below.
6. Evernote
Features
– Save articles for later
– Variety in note-making (text, sketches, photos, audio, clips, and more)
– Scan notes, documents, drawings
– Attach files
– Set reminders
– Sync your notes
Even young people forget things, especially when they are in a hurry or trying to do too much. It’s important to write things down in a systematic manner to avoid forgetting important details or events–which can have serious consequences.
The Evernote app will let you type in and make notes on anything you want. From grocery lists, to when to take your medicines, to your granddaughter’s birthday, it is the only app you need to stay organized. Not only does it have the note-making feature, but you can scan documents, add attachments, sketch, record audio, add reminders, and more. It’s very easy to use and it could be a favorite.
Is it free or paid?
Evernote is available for both free and premium subscriptions at $7.99 monthly and $69.99 annually. Premium features include PDF annotation, 10 GB upload each month, use on multiple devices, offline access, and more.
Get the app on the Google Play Store by clicking the button below.
7. WebMD
Features
– Symptom checker
– Doctor directory
– Medication reminders
– Medically-reviewed information about conditions
– Save information for easy access and reference
– Drug interaction checker to find harmful drug combinations
The apps for senior citizens will take you to a website where you will be able to find doctors when you need them the most. Of course, it’s always best to contact your own physician if you can, but WebMD can be a great resource for general medical questions.
You can open the app, put in your symptoms and a medical professional will be assigned to you.
Note: “WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the WebMD mobile application.”
Is it free or paid?
This app is completely free and thus contains ads. Also, it doesn’t require any registration.
Get the app on the Google Play Store by clicking the button below.
8. Skype
Features
– Video calls/conferencing
– Audio calls
– Group and individual chats
– Share media files instantly
– Annotate images
When you are far from your loved ones, you need to have a way to keep in touch. This is especially true on special occasions such as birthdays, or weddings, and unfortunately, sometimes you can’t be there with your friends and family. Skype is a great way of doing video calls and messages, much-needed featured apps for senior citizens.
With Skype’s good video clarity and its free text and calls feature, you can stay connected. And communication with our loved ones is very important, at any age.
Is it free or paid?
The Skype app is free to use, but it does contain ads.
Get the app on the Google Play Store by clicking the button below.
Honorable Mentions – Apps for Senior Citizens
Big Launcher: Big Launcher is one of the best Android launchers for elderly people. This app makes the home screen on Android phones more suitable and easier to access for older adults. This makes using a mobile a lot easier without the fear of making a mistake and offers stress-free navigation. The app is free to install and offers in-app purchases.
Blood Pressure Companion: This Android app allows users to enter, analyze, and share blood pressure on the go. The apps for senior citizens are paid for and are available for download at $0.99.
Google Find My Device: Google’s very own Find My Device helps users locate their Android phone and lock it until they get it back. This app can prove to be really handy for the elderly and youth alike as we tend to forget where we keep our phones. The app is free to use.
Hearty Seniors: It is a strength, coordination, and mobility workout app created by physical therapists. All the exercises in this Android app follow the international fall prevention guidelines. Exercising makes one’s life easier and that’s what this app promises too. The apps for senior citizens are available for free on the Google Play Store.
Words With Friends: Words With Friends is a multiplayer word puzzle Android game. This app helps train the brain and allows users to make friends with fellow puzzle gamers on the app. The apps for senior citizens are free to install and contain ads and in-app purchases.
Final Thoughts
We all grow old and watch the world change around us. Even though it can feel uncomfortable sometimes, there is nothing we can do to stop it! These apps for seniors are just some of the applications you can make good use of to help you stay in the loop and experience new technologies–even when you are not as young as you used to be.
Our elders are the ones who made us who we are today. One way we can reciprocate is to help them through the current applications and make their lives a little easier.
If you know of any other helpful apps for senior citizens, don’t forget to leave them in the comments section below.
