While you might have hundreds of apps on your smartphone, for an elderly person, having that many apps on their phone can make their life a lot of complicated and confusing. Knowing this, you should encourage your elderly loved one to keep their downloads to a minimum in order to help them maximize the use of their phone.
To help you know which apps they should prioritize, here are three types of apps that your elderly loved one needs on their smartphone.
Improving Their Sight
When setting up a smartphone for your elderly loved one, you can change the settings so that the text is larger and the screen is brighter. This will make things a lot easier for them to see. But what about text that isn’t on their phone?
One of the best apps to download for this reason, according to Paula Thompson, a contributor to LifeHack.org, is a magnifying glass and flashlight. This will allow them to hold their phone over small text, like that on a restaurant menu, and get that text larger and brighter. While the flashlight feature can be used at the same time, they can also use the flashlight at any other time when they’re needing a little more light to better see what’s around them, be it in their own home or assisted living facility or when looking for something in their car.
Manage Passwords
Even with a simplified technological life, remembering passwords for everything can be very challenging for seniors.
Knowing this, one of the most helpful apps for them to download on their smartphone is a password manager. With most of these password managers, Jeff Hoyt, a contributor to SeniorLiving.org, shares that they can have the password manager remember all of their unique and strong passwords so that their accounts are adequately protected without the threat of them being locked out of anything. They can also have the password manager autofill their passwords whenever they go to a website or app that requires them to use a password, which can make their life a whole lot easier and more secure.
Get Directions And Parking Reminders
Although most people need help with directions every once in a while, what can be most helpful to seniors when using a map app or GPS is a feature that helps them remember where they parked.
According to Alix Langone, a contributor to Money.com, apps like Google Maps allow you to mark on the map where you parked once you got out of your car. Then, you can easily navigate your way back to your car without having to remember exactly where it was that you parked, which can be incredibly helpful for seniors or anyone who gets a little forgetful.
If you have an elderly loved one, consider helping them download these helpful apps onto their smartphone.