Your experience with apps made specifically with older users in mind.

David St John

New Member
My mother is in her mid eighties and is pretty handy using her phone to communicate with family and keep up with the news. However, finding simple apps which are geared towards older users is hard. It got me wondering, are there apps which folk use to, for example, monitor their health or do their favourite activities that are really well designed for older users? Or are there apps which folk use where you think ”if only it did XYZ it would be perfect (or easier to use)”. Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.
 

An app to take care of the bloatware would be nice.
I've tried to dumb-down my smartphone, not become more dependent on it.
If all it did was make phone calls and nothing else, I wouldn't be disappointed.
I don't need to do computer stuff away from home.

That said, I understand some folks finding smartphones useful and often taking the place of a computer these days.
From a TV remote, home devices controller, alarm clock, med reminder, to a list/note taker and map with pinpoint accuracy ...
Will be interesting what others might find useful besides just a bell in the pocket anyone in the world can ring.
 

My mother is in her mid eighties and is pretty handy using her phone to communicate with family and keep up with the news. However, finding simple apps which are geared towards older users is hard. It got me wondering, are there apps which folk use to, for example, monitor their health or do their favourite activities that are really well designed for older users? Or are there apps which folk use where you think ”if only it did XYZ it would be perfect (or easier to use)”. Would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.
Your mother is to be complimented, my so called smart phone, is way too smart for me. It's twelve years old now and I'm still clueless as to how it works, other than phone, text and camera. As for apps, it took a ten-year-old to explain that app was an abbreviation for application. Still none the wiser what an app is though.
 
An app to take care of the bloatware would be nice.
I've tried to dumb-down my smartphone, not become more dependent on it.
If all it did was make phone calls and nothing else, I wouldn't be disappointed.
I don't need to do computer stuff away from home.

That said, I understand some folks finding smartphones useful and often taking the place of a computer these days.
From a TV remote, home devices controller, alarm clock, med reminder, to a list/note taker and map with pinpoint accuracy ...
Will be interesting what others might find useful besides just a bell in the pocket anyone in the world can ring.
There is really no in between is there - it's all or nothing. It would be nice to get a phone that can just make calls then you build up from there and make it as "smart" as you are comfortable with. I agree certainly with your comment of the utility of smart phones away from home. I'm a heavy technology user myself but rarely do anything else other than make the odd phone call when I'm out - and for my mum, it's just an emergency device.
 
Your mother is to be complimented, my so called smart phone, is way too smart for me. It's twelve years old now and I'm still clueless as to how it works, other than phone, text and camera. As for apps, it took a ten-year-old to explain that app was an abbreviation for application. Still none the wiser what an app is though.
Mum is a bit spoilt - I've lived with her for a bit and I'm pretty sure she would go without the phone and some of the conveniences if I hadn't been about. But now she is comfortable with a few features she gets a bit of use out of it. With that said, if I gave her a new phone to start from scratch it would end up in a drawer! The on-ramp for these things seems to get harder as the technology is meant to improve.
 
Don't sell you Mom short. If there were an app that did something she wanted, I bet she could handle it. I'm 84.
:) no doubt! I mentioned in a reply above that I have been about to help, but once she sat with a feature for a spell she became comfortable with it quite readily. Your age group are a resourceful lot!
 

Magnifying Glass + Flashlight​

The Magnifying Glass + Flashlight app is an essential tool for seniors who may have difficulty reading small print or navigating in low-light environments. The free app for IOS and Android devices allows users to magnify small print text and images on their smartphone or tablet screen, making it easier to read and view details. In addition, the app includes a built-in flashlight feature, providing additional illumination in dark environments. This combination of features can be especially useful for seniors with visual impairments or those who may have trouble reading small print.
 
The thing about seniors learning new things is motivation, My wife was practically helpless with anything technical. She had trouble remembering which way to turn the knob to make the toast darker. But, she learned how to program the cable vcr so she wouldn't miss any of her favorite programs.

For many of us, the gee whiz factor of some apps is not such a big deal. I have an app on my android tablet that I can point at an aircraft and it shows me a picture of it, which airline, where it came from, where it's going, how high it is, and how fast it's moving. That's really cool. But, it's not something I need to carry in my pocket all the time.

I carry a Smartflip phone. The screen is just 3 inches and not touch sensitive. The camera sucks. But, I don't do Zoom calls anyway. It has a few apps. The clock/timer app is useful and I could erase the others if I wanted to bother. It's small, does calls and text just fine and cost me 60 bucks unlocked. I have no desire for anything else. I don't need to play games when I'm out.
 
I have an Iphone, ..have had iphone for many years... I don't use it to it's full capacity because Apps eat up memory ...However we do have a Member here who knows her way around many different Apps on smart phones, and many for health etc...and is very au fait with them.. Hopefully @ @Happyflowerlady will see this ... and maybe of some help
 
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I ahve an Iphone, ..have had iphone for many years... I don't use it to it's full capacity because Apps eat up memory ...However we do have a Member here who knows her way around many different Apps on smart phones, and many for health etc...and is very au fait with them.. Hopefully @ @Happyflowerlady will see this ... and maybe of some help
I am absolutely happy to help if I can ! I have several health-monitoring apps on my phone, which is an iPhone. I can share some of the apps I use, but it would be helpful to know what brand of phone your mother has, @David St John ? I have only ever had an iPhone smartphone, so I do not know about apps for any other brand of smartphone.

For connecting with my family, I use the iMessage app, and occasionally, Facetime when we want to have a visual chat. I also have my family on the FindMy app, so I can see where they are and they can always see where I am at. My Apple Watch alerts me to messages, even if the phone is not close by. I also use Facebook for keeping in touch with my family and friends, and Twitter for regular news, since it is faster than any other news app.

My apple health app and Apple Watch monitor most of my health info, and I also have apps from my doctor’s office so I can see information about lab work and other medical information.
I share this with my daughter, so she can always check on medical info as well.

Besides that, I have an app for blood pressure (iHealth), Lose It for food monitoring, sleep monitoring app, and several fitness apps, Google Fit, and my Fitbit app.
For other things, I have my banking app, insurance apps, weather app, Kindle app, calculator, several music apps, youtube, police scanner, several shopping apps (grocery stores, amazon),ancestry, and photo editing apps.

Just about anything that your mom is interested in, there should be an app for. If she likes to read, I definitely recommend the Kindle app !
 

Magnifying Glass + Flashlight​

The Magnifying Glass + Flashlight app is an essential tool for seniors who may have difficulty reading small print or navigating in low-light environments. The free app for IOS and Android devices allows users to magnify small print text and images on their smartphone or tablet screen, making it easier to read and view details. In addition, the app includes a built-in flashlight feature, providing additional illumination in dark environments. This combination of features can be especially useful for seniors with visual impairments or those who may have trouble reading small print.
The is quite interesting @kburra. I hadn't seen nor heard of the magnifying feature. As a slightly related feature I know we have bumped up the text size on mum's phone but, again, not straightforward to find. Could do with like a swiss army knife app or widget that has most used / useful features on easy location.
 
I am absolutely happy to help if I can ! I have several health-monitoring apps on my phone, which is an iPhone. I can share some of the apps I use, but it would be helpful to know what brand of phone your mother has, @David St John ? I have only ever had an iPhone smartphone, so I do not know about apps for any other brand of smartphone.

For connecting with my family, I use the iMessage app, and occasionally, Facetime when we want to have a visual chat. I also have my family on the FindMy app, so I can see where they are and they can always see where I am at. My Apple Watch alerts me to messages, even if the phone is not close by. I also use Facebook for keeping in touch with my family and friends, and Twitter for regular news, since it is faster than any other news app.

My apple health app and Apple Watch monitor most of my health info, and I also have apps from my doctor’s office so I can see information about lab work and other medical information.
I share this with my daughter, so she can always check on medical info as well.

Besides that, I have an app for blood pressure (iHealth), Lose It for food monitoring, sleep monitoring app, and several fitness apps, Google Fit, and my Fitbit app.
For other things, I have my banking app, insurance apps, weather app, Kindle app, calculator, several music apps, youtube, police scanner, several shopping apps (grocery stores, amazon),ancestry, and photo editing apps.

Just about anything that your mom is interested in, there should be an app for. If she likes to read, I definitely recommend the Kindle app !
Jinkies! You are on top of your apps! Mum uses an Android phone which is pretty nice. I haven't used an iPhone for a couple of years now but certainly recall it being somewhat more intuitive at the system level let alone any particular apps.

Is the app you use to communicate with your doctor specific to your clinic or is it a general iPhone one? That's one that would be a real help. Doctors often ask for various things to be recorded and it would be nice to have something which can gather and share this data in a secure way. With iHealth for your blood pressure, do you manually enter the readings or is you blood pressure monitor connected to your phone by bluetooth or some such?

How you have described using FindMyApp is quite interesting. I know, my sister gets a little worried if she knows mum has been out and then doesn't answer the phone. It could be a handy tool for peace of mind.

Thanks @Happyflowerlady.
 
The thing about seniors learning new things is motivation, My wife was practically helpless with anything technical. She had trouble remembering which way to turn the knob to make the toast darker. But, she learned how to program the cable vcr so she wouldn't miss any of her favorite programs.

For many of us, the gee whiz factor of some apps is not such a big deal. I have an app on my android tablet that I can point at an aircraft and it shows me a picture of it, which airline, where it came from, where it's going, how high it is, and how fast it's moving. That's really cool. But, it's not something I need to carry in my pocket all the time.

I carry a Smartflip phone. The screen is just 3 inches and not touch sensitive. The camera sucks. But, I don't do Zoom calls anyway. It has a few apps. The clock/timer app is useful and I could erase the others if I wanted to bother. It's small, does calls and text just fine and cost me 60 bucks unlocked. I have no desire for anything else. I don't need to play games when I'm out.
Motivation is the key isn't it. The forces that drive us to be entertained can be strong as you have described :D ... mum would crawl over broken glass not to miss her favorite tv that's for sure. The thing which continuously amazes me is her willingness to try things - sometimes she might be a little quick to discard a tool from the kit but she certainly gives it a go.

Nokia brought back what I think they called "feature" phones a couple of years back which is similar to what you described. She had one of those and a tablet and when the tablet unexpectedly died she tried a smart phone and enjoyed reading the news on it over the tablet so it has kind of stuck now.
 
Hi HFL - I have heard that there is a function or add on that allows your mobile phone to become a sorta loudspeaker listening device for hard of hearing - come across that one at all?
I do not know about the phone app, but my daughter got her father apple AirPods and when he wore those, she said that he could hear what she said on the phone, and he also spoke clearer when he spoke to her; so that is a possibility.

If you get your mom a Fitbit that is also a phone, it can connect with her phone and whatever google app works for sharing location with each other. I LOVE my Apple Watch !
It is an alarm should I fall and need help, and can even call emergency service if i passed out and could not call for help myself, @David St John . Once you set it up for her, basically all she has to do is wear the watch and charge it up at night.

The hospital here has an app called HealtheLife, and any time I go to any of the doctors offices that use the hospital, it all goes into my records and I can access it from the app. I think that most doctors have an online portal that works this way, if you ask your doctor about it, or look on their website.

I am 78, so not far from my 80’s, and was “raised” by 3 kids who all love technology; and when I asked a question about why something was not working for me, the first response was , “Did you Google it, Mom ?”
So, I learned to look and try to figure things out before asking for help from the kids, and I really enjoy my phone, ipads, and apple watch because they add a lot to my life.
 
The is quite interesting @kburra. I hadn't seen nor heard of the magnifying feature. As a slightly related feature I know we have bumped up the text size on mum's phone but, again, not straightforward to find. Could do with like a swiss army knife app or widget that has most used / useful features on easy location.
How to;
 
I do not know about the phone app, but my daughter got her father apple AirPods and when he wore those, she said that he could hear what she said on the phone, and he also spoke clearer when he spoke to her; so that is a possibility.

If you get your mom a Fitbit that is also a phone, it can connect with her phone and whatever google app works for sharing location with each other. I LOVE my Apple Watch !
It is an alarm should I fall and need help, and can even call emergency service if i passed out and could not call for help myself, @David St John . Once you set it up for her, basically all she has to do is wear the watch and charge it up at night.

The hospital here has an app called HealtheLife, and any time I go to any of the doctors offices that use the hospital, it all goes into my records and I can access it from the app. I think that most doctors have an online portal that works this way, if you ask your doctor about it, or look on their website.

I am 78, so not far from my 80’s, and was “raised” by 3 kids who all love technology; and when I asked a question about why something was not working for me, the first response was , “Did you Google it, Mom ?”
So, I learned to look and try to figure things out before asking for help from the kids, and I really enjoy my phone, ipads, and apple watch because they add a lot to my life.
thanks for that will look out for some ta!!
 
Here is an app that looks like it works for being able to hear better when in a conversation (as opposed to on the phone). It has a week free trial and then a subscription if you like it, and it works with all kinds of headphones and earbuds, @davey . There are several others when you do an app search for hearing aids, but some are only designed to work with actual hearing aids, and this one only needs earbuds.

IMG_5292.jpeg
 
The smartphone is another "tool". It is like having a computer you can carry around. I got one for the first time a couple months ago. I am 71, so compared to your Mom I am a youngster. :) I like it. I watch tik-tok shorts which are very entertaining and easy to navigate. I just put on Zoom to use for my Peripheral Neuropathy support group
( they average of thirty people ) which is a godsent. I like the talk to the phone ability. I ask google all kinds of things. Curious? ask your smartphone! :) It has also nudged me closer to a lot of friends and family because of the texting ability. I stay in "touch" more. I think if your Mom likes it, she will keep exploring and might ask you (or the phone ) for an app(lication)/program. She might be comfortable with it or not. I have tried several apps that were not for me so I removed them. Maybe there are some "games" she has played in the past that she could play on the phone. I am not much of a game player so I haven't dowloaded any. But I see elderly people playing word games, puzzles, card games, etc.
Good Luck. Our world is changing ever so fast it is very hard to keep up. We must try though. :)
 

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