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The best apps for seniors' health & entertainment
01 November 2022
Today, many seniors own smartphones or tablets, and the apps they use have plenty of benefits: from helping to maintain social connections to tracking health and wellness, sharpening the mind, and providing entertainment. We have compiled the best apps for seniors below!
Technology is now a significant part of everyday life – we have smart devices all over our homes, most services have online platforms, we can even do our shopping digitally. It’s no surprise then that it matters what we use day in and day out – and that's no different when it comes to applications.
Applications (or apps) are a great way of organising our lives, setting reminders, keeping connected with friends and family, and even finding entertainment. And the right apps can have many positive benefits to the lives of our ageing loved ones.
Whether you’re looking for apps for yourself or a parent, we have compiled all the best options – our top apps for seniors’ health, safety, and entertainment.
Best apps for seniors
The basic apps for seniors
Facebook Messenger / WhatsApp
Depending on what your family and friends use, it’s a great idea to download an app to keep in touch with loved ones. Facebook Messenger requires a Facebook account, whereas WhatsApp only requires a phone number – so download whichever you’re more comfortable with.
OR
Maps
Google Maps are essential to help you get from one place to another. Whether you drive or rely on public transport, Google Maps can help you out wherever you are. Another great feature of this app is that you can save where you parked, which is especially helpful in large shopping centre or event car parks. Find out how to do this here.
Weather app
Most phones have a weather app as an existing app, but if you want something a bit more reliable, download the BOM Weather app.
Spotify
Everyone likes listening to music. Spotify has both a free and a paid version – if your family already has a shared account, you could join for a very minimal fee and enjoy music without the ads. You can easily save your favourites in lists, or even listen to retro radios.
Health & safety apps for seniors
MedAdvisor
MedAdvisor is an Australian-based medication app that manages your prescriptions, gives you reminders to take your medication, as well as instructions and information on dosage and effective use of your medications.
MedAdvisor is linked to your pharmacy, and you can use the app to order new prescriptions and have them pre-filled so you don’t have to wait in line.
Emergency Plus
It’s always good to be prepared for the unexpected – as much as you can. Emergency Plus is a free app developed by Australia’s 000 services and is enabled with GPS to show your exact location. In an emergency, this app will allow 000 services to find you, no matter where you are.
Fun & entertainment apps for seniors
Pinterest
Pinterest is a photo sharing platform where people can find inspiration and ideas for their interests and hobbies. It’s a great channel for finding ideas for arts and crafts: whatever your hobby, you are sure to find others who enjoy the same thing.
Libby, by OverDrive
Libby is your free ebook & audiobook heaven. All over the world, local libraries offer millions of ebooks and audiobooks. You can borrow and download them – for free, instantly – with a library card and Libby. It doesn’t get much better than that!
ABC Listen
ABC Listen is the perfect app for keeping up to date with the latest happenings. Whether that’s in the form of radio channels or podcasts, listen to your favourite shows for free.
Words with Friends
Words with Friends allows you to have fun while keeping in touch with faraway friends – two birds, one stone! Make sure to keep your mind sharp as you choose the perfect move on the board with this classic game.
Lumosity
Lumosity is an app designed to stimulate your brain with fun games and activities that work on improving your attention, problem solving, speed of processing and memory skills. It’s a real brain workout.
Practical apps for seniors
MyFeros
If you are a Feros Care customer, this is the most practical app you can get. The MyFeros app is your one-stop-shop for everything related to your services. At a touch of a finger, you can manage your time and services, see which care worker will be attending, request changes or new services, view budgets and manage funds, and message Feros Care directly.
Public toilet finder
This one can really come in handy when you’re out and about! The National Public Toilet Finder app shows almost 20,000 public toilets across Australia.
Magnifying Glass + Flashlight
If you've ever had trouble reading a restaurant menu, forms at the doctor's office, or labels on food packaging, a magnifying app could be a handy tool.
This magnifying app uses your phone's camera to zoom in on whatever you point it at, and you can quickly turn on the light to illuminate what you need to read. With a touch of the screen, you can also “freeze” what you are looking at, so you don't have to point it in the same spot the entire time you're reading.
Setting up a phone or tablet for a loved one
If you are setting up a phone or tablet for your senior loved one, we also have some handy tips for making the experience even easier to follow:
Separate the pages of your phone/tablet by type of app for easier navigation;
Position easiest and most-used apps on top of the screen;
Play with the accessibility options – you can make the device’s font bigger, turn up the volume, and even switch the device into ‘easy mode,’ which allows you to select exactly what apps can be used and add any restrictions. You can do all of this under Settings, depending on the type of phone.
And finally, while the internet is great for a lot of things, it’s essential to stay safe when online. Check out the most common scams to watch out for here.