Apps for Seniors Living Alone
The 10 Best Apps for Seniors Living Alone – Never Feel Lonely
It’s a busy time for young people; therefore, more seniors live by themselves than ever before. In the USA, around 27% of adults at the age of 60 and more live alone or with a senior spouse, which is why there is a rising need for technology to help them feel connected and safe.
According to the National Institute of Aging, social isolation and loneliness lead to various physical and mental diseases, including obesity, heart disease, cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s disease, high blood pressure, etc.
Technology that can Help
How to combine the modern, fast-paced life with the health and care needs of an aging population?
The answer lies in the use of technology, which allows young people to be in touch with the elderly and make sure their needs are met on time.
Here is a list of the ten best apps for seniors living alone that simplify the life of the elderly, helping them feel connected and secure.
Iamfine
Daily Check-In Calls with optional Medical Reminders
Website link: www.iamfine.com
Pricing: $14.99 Monthly, $120 Yearly
Iamfine is a daily check-in call service that provides seniors with an emergency alert system in case of need. It also reminds them about taking medication on time and helps keep track of pet health and care if something happens to the senior.
Seniors do not need to install any extra devices to activate the system. They just need a one-time setup, filling in a basic form with their personal and medical data, contact number and call schedule and they will receive a daily call at pre-set times.
The daily check-in is a quick and smooth process. Seniors receive an automated call at the predetermined hour, where they are asked to press a key to confirm they are safe and well. If no response is detected, the app gives four more follow-up calls every 15 minutes after the first one.
If a senior fails to answer, an alert is sent to their emergency contacts so they can take action if needed. With its simplicity of use and intuitive interface, Iamfine is one of the best apps for seniors living alone.
Who Are in Senior’s Emergency Contact
Iamfine allows seniors to create Care Circles, which are emergency contacts that are notified whenever the senior needs help. These care circles consist of close family members, neighbors, caregivers and friends who receive phone calls or emails reporting a senior’s status.
Iamfine for Pet Owners
Whenever they receive a notification from Iamfine, they know a senior does not respond to a daily check-in call and they must take the necessary steps to help them.
The app is customizable, allowing seniors to choose the frequency of calls, their time and date, as well as emergency contacts for each Care Circle.
Iamfine Medical Reminders
Aside from the daily check-in call service, Iamfine also allows seniors to set reminders for different days of the week to take their medication. After the check-in call, a senior listens to a custom message, reminding them about taking the specific medication at a particular time.
Many apps for seniors living alone provide only one of these features. If you want different check-in services combined, Iamfine is your go-to choice.
Ensuring Pets Are Safe With Iamfine
Iamfine is also useful to make sure that, for those living alone, one’s pets will be taken care of if something happens to them. With Iamfine, a pet owner can assign an emergency contact responsible for taking care of their pet in case of need.
This process works similarly to daily check-in calls. If a senior does not respond to a daily check-in call, care circle members receive a notification to go and check for the pet.
FallSafety Home
Fall Detection, Alerts in Emergency Situation
Website: fallsafetyapp.com
Get from Apple Store:
Pricing: $4.99 Monthly, $11.99 Monthly, $13.99 Monthly, $14.99 Monthly
FallSafety Home helps to detect falls of seniors and sends notifications in case of emergency to caregivers. The system can detect big falls, which are the falls from the 4th rung of a ladder, or small falls, which are the falls from the standing or sitting position followed by inactivity.
The app is installed within minutes, and seniors are secured without necklaces or pendants, which was a solution before.
Be My Eyes
Sighted Support
Be My Eyes is a free app that connects vision-impaired people with sighted volunteers or company representatives for visual assistance through a live video call.
Website: bemyeyes.com
Get from Apple Store: Link
Get from Google Play: Link
Pricing: Free
The app helps with everyday tasks such as reading expiry dates on products, sorting laundry, identifying colors and much more. A person with low vision just presses the Call button in the app and is connected within seconds to a volunteer who can provide assistance through live video calls.
With all the tasks, big or small, low vision people can now be independent and perform everyday tasks with the help of sight volunteers, who lend their eyes to help lonely elderly in need.
Snug Safety
Daily Check-In Calls
Snug Safety is an app that provides seniors with daily check-in calls. Seniors press the big green button on their screens daily to let the app know they are safe and well. After the successful check-in, the system shares a motivational quote to encourage seniors.
Website: snugsafe.com
Get from Apple Store: Link
Get from Google Play: Link
Pricing: $9.99 Monthly, $99 Yearly
In case the senior is unable to answer, an alert is sent to their emergency contacts so they can take action if needed. This scheme works for the free subscription plan.
If the senior has the paid plan, the Snug dispatcher sends a voice message to a senior with a callback number whenever they miss a daily check-in call. Further, the dispatcher calls all the emergency contacts to notify them that their loved one might need help. If there is no callback from the senior and no emergency contact is available, the dispatcher sends a wellness check to the senior’s last known location.
Rescue
Emergency Calls
Website: rescusaveslines.com
Get from Apple Store: Link
Get from Google Play: Link
Pricing: N/A
Rescu is an emergency call app designed to help seniors in need. With a few taps, seniors can call dispatch fire, police and ETMs instead of calling them. This solution is crucial as seniors cannot move or speak during many falls or injuries. However, they can still press a button on the app and get help in seconds.
Seniors can save their medical and health information in Rescu in advance, which will be available to EMTs in case of emergency. When an emergency happens, the helping personnel will see that information, including pre-allergies and medical conditions, and provide the best help.
The Dispatch GPS easily tracks the person’s location and sends it to EMTs. However, seniors can also save up to 4 locations where they frequently go so that the app can send their location to EMTs even faster.
Ear Machine
Hearing All Sounds
Get from App Store: Link
Pricing: N/A
Ear Machine is an app designed to help seniors with hearing problems. The app uses artificial intelligence to distinguish between important and background noises, which helps users listen to conversations better in a noisy environment.
Whenever a senior wants to hear a sound that his/her physical abilities have difficulty distinguishing, the app will recognize it and help them hear.
For example, in a noisy place where a senior can’t hear what the cashier of the bakery is saying, the Ear Machine can help them with real-time sound recognition. The app will recognize the sound of the cashier and make it louder, so a senior will be able to understand what is being said.
Further, Ear Machine also has a sound recommendation system based on user’s preferences. Whenever it detects a sound that a senior might like, the app will recommend it to them so they can explore more sounds and experience new ones.
Instant Heart Rate
Heart Rate Calculation
Get from Google Play: Link
Pricing: N/A
Instant Heart Rate is a health app for seniors that allows them to measure their heart rate. The app uses your smartphone’s camera to measure your pulse in just 15 seconds: a light source illuminates your flesh and the camera captures the blood flowing through vessels.
All the senior needs to do is to put their finger on the camera and wait for 15 seconds. The app will then measure their heart rate and show it in a graph that they can save.
Of course, it would be unfair to state that Instant Heart Rate is more reliable than a medical device, but it can still be used as a good indicator for seniors to monitor their heart rate changes over time. It is also helpful when there is no medical specialist nearby and in emergency cases where every second counts.
Chk-In Fall Alert
Fall Down Alert
Get from Google Play: Link
Get from Apple Store: Link
Chk-In Fall Alert is an app designed to help seniors who are at risk of falling down. The app sends a fall alert when it detects that the user has fallen down and sends the location to their emergency contact number or any other member of their group of friends.
This app is easy-to-use, as when the senior falls, it’s enough for them to shake the phone to notify their emergency contacts about the fall. Chk-In Fall Allert detects falls with high accuracy due to the smartphone’s accelerometer.
Wheelmap
Detecting Wheelchair-Friendly Places
Website: wheelmap.org
Get from Google Play: Link
Get from Apple Store: Link
Pricing: free
Wheelmap is a great app for seniors with limited mobility. The app provides information about various places and their accessibility to wheelchairs. It helps people with wheelchairs find the right place quickly and easily.
There is a map with locations highlighted in 3 different colors. Green means that the place is fully accessible for wheelchairs, yellow means partially wheelchair-friendly and red means not wheelchair-friendly.
Additionally, the app allows adding any new location, which users usually do. They can get points for adding new locations and helping people with wheelchairs even more. This makes it a great way to build an accessible world together.
Sound Amplifier
Amplifying Sounds for Seniors
Get from Google Play: Link
Get from Apple Store: Link
Sound Amplifier is another excellent app for seniors. It helps them to hear better in a noisy environment, turning down background noises and amplifying voices speaking to them.
The app uses the microphone of a smartphone or headphones and filters out unwanted sounds while boosting the important ones. Seniors can easily customize their sound settings within the app and save them so they don’t have to do it again.
Using Sound Amplifier, seniors can better understand conversations and listen to music or watch videos without disturbing background noise. It is also helpful for those who suffer from hearing impairment as it helps them to hear better.
To Sum Up
A great variety of apps for seniors living alone are available to help with everyday activities and improve quality of life. From medication management to fall detection, from hearing amplification to wheelchair-friendly places, plenty of useful apps are available today.
Some of these apps are more sophisticated than others. Sophistication does not mean they are necessarily complex to use. some may require more knowledge or understanding than others. Seniors should always consider their needs and choose apps that suit their needs best. With the right choice, senior citizens can use various apps to stay safe, healthy and enjoy a better quality of life.