Technology is not only the enemy of the elderly, it is also there to help them on a daily basis
Digital certificates, online forms… Digital procedures are still gibberish for many people, especially for older people, where the gap really widens. But, there is also technology specially designed for this group. Apps about health, memory or entertainment that make everyday life easier. This is a selection of the most useful ‘apps’ for older people.
Google sound amplifier
In this case, the mobile phone serves as a temporary hearing aid. This ‘app’ is used to listen to television without putting it at a very high volume, for example. How? The app boosts the sounds around you and your device itself and reduces background noise using just two sliders. You need headphones.
download in
Android and in
iOS.
Librivox Audiobooks
That they read us a book, that they tell us a story… It is a pleasure for almost everyone. And it is a great alternative for people whose eyes are tired. Librivox offers free access to more than 50,000 audiobooks, 3,000 of them in Spanish. These stories can be heard online or downloaded for later listening. All free.
download in
Android and in
iOS.
train your brain
Cognitive decline is a severe threat as we age. Hence the importance of exercising memory. There are applications with games to exercise memory: find pairs of images, repeat sequences, memorize patterns, associate objects or retain elements of different images.
download in
Android and in
iOS.
Easy Mode Launcher, from Shenzhen UFO Technology
It is designed to make the mobile screen more readable: you choose the applications or contacts that you want to appear larger. In the case of contacts, a photo can be included so that the user can quickly identify who they are going to call.
download in
Android . On iOS: There are no launchers on Apple phones, but you can make changes to the text size to make the screen more readable
life360
It uses GPS technology to know where each member of the family is, talk to each one of them, receive alerts when someone arrives at a certain place and even allows you to track a lost or stolen phone.
download in
Android and in
iOS.
Magnifying glass, by App2U
All those who have presbyopia have experienced at some point the frustration of not being able to read a supermarket label or a medication leaflet properly because they have left their glasses. This ‘app’ uses the phone’s camera to enlarge texts and images. Thinking of people with vision problems, it also includes a high contrast color option.
download in
Android. On iOS: includes the serial function, to activate the magnifying glass you have to go to Settings> Accessibility and activate the Magnifying glass or Zoom.
My112 / 112 SOS Deiak
Telecare is very useful for the elderly, because if they have an accident at home they can notify the service and receive help, but when they go outside My112 and 112 SOS Deiak allow them to communicate directly with the 112 emergency center and send the position current, which facilitates the location of the injured person. You can even send photos of the accident.
download in
Android My112(used for several autonomies).
download in
Android 112-SOS Deiak.
download in
iOS My112.
download on ios
112-SOS Deiak.
super loud tones
Today’s smartphones often have nice melodies as a ringtone, but people with hearing problems sometimes have a hard time hearing them even when the device is turned up to maximum volume. This app includes several very loud and annoying sounds including easily distinguishable and audible alarms, fanfares, sirens, whistles or various old phone ringtones that can be assigned as ringtone, notification or alarm.
download in
Android and in
iOS.
Medication Reminder by MyTherapy
The first thing to do is enter all the data referring to the patient’s medication and the regimen corresponding to each medication. At the time the medicine needs to be administered, an alarm sounds and you can record whether or not it has been taken and review it at the end of the day. Control of medication intake is completed with daily mood and perception of health. Other data such as weight or blood pressure can be included.
download in
Android and in
iOS.
Radio
The radio keeps many people company but not all smartphone models include this application as standard. iOS takes it inside Apple Music but offers fewer stations than an app. You have to take into account the cost of the battery and that it is necessary for the phone to be connected to a Wi-Fi network or have a comfortable data rate, since it uses both. The two options, iOS and Android, serve to tune into hundreds of Spanish stations and, in the case of the iPhone version, thousands from all over the world.
download in
Android and on iOS.