Great apps for seniors

Posted on 28 April 2015

Social media isn’t just for the cool kids, increasingly seniors and baby boomers are taking to the Internet to stay connected with friends and family.

In a study by the psychology department at the University of Exeter in the UK, researchers wanted to see whether access to the Internet would affect quality of life for the elderly. What the research revealed is that Internet connectivity has many benefits including increased cognitive capacity, an improved sense of self-competence and a raised sense of wellbeing. With this mind, here are some must-have apps for the over-60 crowd.

Facebook
‘Facebook is the only social media platform with measurable take-up by over-65s. It was initially taken up as a way to connect with their children and view photos of grandchildren, but now people in this segment are also using it to keep in touch with one another’s lives,’ says Arthur Goldstuck, MD of World Wide Work. The world’s largest social network, Facebook is a fantastic place to reconnect with old friends, old flames and find what’s happening in your family member’s lives.

Skype
The ability to make video calls has made it much simpler to stay in touch with overseas family and grandkids. It means you can virtually be with your family at birthdays, Christmas and other special occasions. While a Skype call doesn’t beat being there in person, it makes it a little easier to deal with the separation. The free Skype messaging and video call app is available for your computer, tablet or smartphone.

Audible
Forget e-books, you can listen to audiobooks of your favourite authors on your smartphone or computer and avoid straining your eyes. Go to www.audible.com to test it out with a free 30-day trial and access more than 150 000 titles. If you enjoy it, you’ll pay about R170 per month for a subscription, which includes one book per month.

Lumosity
Train your brain with one of the more than 40 games aimed at improving your cognitive abilities, including face-name recall, task switching, focus and arithmetic.

Flipboard
Create your own personal magazine featuring articles from news sites, Facebook, Twitter and other social media updates all packaged in a pretty, well-designed app.

Coach.me
Set goals and stay motivated with the Coach.me app. You can create your own goals or join other groups to help you stick to goals including everything from Walk Everyday to Read More Books.

What apps do you use? Tell us on Facebook.

The information provided in this article was correct at the time of publishing. At Mediclinic we endeavour to provide our patients and readers with accurate and reliable information, which is why we continually review and update our content. However, due to the dynamic nature of clinical information and medicine, some information may from time to time become outdated prior to revision.