People may not think of the elderly in their life as the most technologically advanced, and for the most part, they’re probably right. But that doesn’t mean that the seniors in your life don’t like to use technology, nor does it mean that modern technology has nothing to offer them.
There is no device that seems to be as ubiquitous to modern life as the smartphone, and believe it or not, even the elderly among us utilize them quite regularly. They may not be using theirs to do things like game or to work, but they use them for entertainment and for helping to simplify their lives just like anyone else.
The apps that seniors use tend to be more utilitarian than flashy, serving a definite purpose. Here are just a few examples of three good smartphone apps that seniors will be enriched by the use of.
Skype
Skype is one of the best tools today for calling people over wireless connections and being able to see their faces. This sounds like something that a lot of the elderly in our lives would enjoy (I know that my last surviving elderly relative certainly loves being Skype’d).
Truth be told, Skype is a great way to be able to reach out and talk to loved ones and to see them, and it makes for a great way to be able to communicate with anyone in your life, no matter what age they (or you) may be. A must-have application that comes preloaded on many phones these days because it is so useful, and definitely something that the older members of your family will find value in.
Netflix
Everyone likes to watch a movie. It’s one of the best ways to spend a bit of downtime and to be able to be entertained. Some people also like to watch a television show (or to go through an entire series).
The senior in your life will be able to enjoy literally thousands of hours of entertaining content from films of old, documentaries, and classics, to the more recent offerings. There are literally weeks worth of content to be enjoyed, and at the price of about ten bucks a month, it’s an app that can entertain your favorite senior for a long time to come.
iBooks/Google Play Books
Reading is something that anyone can find joy in, and the elder members of your family are no different. There are many apps out there that are used for reading, but I have to say that Apple’s iBooks is one of the best I’ve found so far.
With a good app with access to a decent selection of books, the person using the app will be able to read books new and old, and to enjoy them. Even better, a lot of the best written classic books of all time are FREE, thanks to the Gutenberg Project, and they are distributed on many platforms, in many formats, via many apps.
These are just a few of the great apps that the senior in your life may be able to enjoy. There are plenty more, and the only way to find out what they’ll like is to know what they like and what they need!