GLOBAL HEALTH AGING

In the digital and connected world, older adults are seemingly left behind. Tech companies continue to design products that cater to young adults, even in the generation of social media. As phone calls and snail mail are dangerously slow and outdated, why should the elderly not benefit from advances in communication? Fortunately there is a growing number of mobile and tablet applications that cater to the elderly population. These apps help to improve quality of life and communication channels with family, friends and healthcare providers.

For example, Oscar aims to enhance the lives of seniors as well as help seniors keep in touch with their family, friends or caregivers. Oscar is an easy-to-use, remotely managed communication tablet app that allows tech-shy elderly known as the ‘seniors’  to remain connected with family, friends and healthcare professionals known as the ‘juniors’. The app boasts of a simple interface which allows users to communicate via text, pictures, voice and video calls. Additionally, it provides a ‘Live View’ of the application on the elder’s tablet and allows the ‘junior’ to fix or update relevant items remotely. The technology also provides reminders, weather alerts and games. Apart from communication, Oscar is a platform for apps with the possibility of adding or removing applications depending on the user’s proficiency and interest. Keep your eyes peeled for the iOS version that is coming soon!

Two finance applications that target the elderly are Mint and Check. Like Oscar, both apps boast of simple interfaces which present relevant financial data in one simplified format. Both applications also provide reminders for paying bills, tracking payments, and helping with creating and managing budgets. A primary difference is that Check is only available on Apple iPads, while Mint is available on both Android and Apple operating systems.

In addition to communication and finances, healthcare is another important consideration with the elderly population. WebMD and Blood Pressure Monitor are great applications, allowing seniors to monitor and learn more about their health. Finally, there are a whole host of games apps to improve cognition and memory such as Luminosity and Elevate. Luminosity focuses on cognitive abilities, while Elevate focuses on reading, writing and mathematics. Both are fun, and we encourage everyone to check them out!

While being acutely aware that some of these apps are only accessible to people with adequate financial resources, such people can invest in mobile applications to remain connected, enlightened and lead an improved quality of life.

Seniors are part of the digital world, hence they should benefit from advances in communication than be left behind. The goal is to design products, free or cost-effective, which will improve the quality of life of older adults. It is, therefore, encouraging to see a number of companies collaborating with seniors to design great products. Since technology can also benefit this population, corporations are recognizing the value and contribution of older adults.

Oscar, Mint, WebMD, etc., have great potential to improve health outcomes among the elderly as well as provide a comfortable and healthy life. The video below shows more useful apps for the elderly.

Namratha Rao is pursuing a MSPH in Social and Behavioral Interventions in the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health.