Easy Ways to Help Seniors with Technology

If there’s a silver lining from the pandemic, it’s that many seniors maintained or even increased the frequency of their communications with family and friends in spite of the barriers. They were also able to access medical care via telehealth, a boon for seniors in rural areas or those without transportation. Technology made these connections possible. We know from research that loneliness and isolation are detrimental to physical and mental health and if we ever experience another lockdown, using technology to stay connected will be vital for seniors.

For my client Anne, age 79, learning how to use a smartphone and a tablet took a little time, but she was an eager student.

“We have to get with the times,” she said. “My granddaughter taught me how to text for starters. Now I’m learning something called Marco Polo. It’s a free app that’s like a video walkie-talkie. Sometimes my kids and grandkids are busy and we can’t find a time to all get together online, so this works good.”

Besides FaceTime, Skype, Facebook Messenger, and Zoom, there are a number of other apps that can help seniors stay connected with family and friends. Fortunately, many apps that are easy-to-use have free versions. Here are some for seniors to try:

• Keepy: This is an app that allows you to organize and save children’s schoolwork, artwork, photos, awards, and mementos.
• Words With Friends is similar to Scrabble. Seniors can challenge friends and family to a game, or be paired with another user.
• NextDoor is an app that allows users in the same neighborhood to communicate about a variety of topics, from recommendations of businesses to crime alerts.
• Remarkable Lives allows users to save and share the life stories and family memories of older adults on a private timeline.
• WhatsApp: This app allows messaging and phone call worldwide with other WhatsApp users.

This is just a partial list to get started. As seniors master technology, they can explore the possibilities and use it to improve their quality of life, be entertained, and stay connected with loved ones.

If you or someone in your family are facing aging challenges, please give us a call at 877-337-0922 or email us at cassandra@infinitycaremanagers.com”. We’ll be happy to assist!