Caregiving can be a full-time job. For adult children or other caregivers of older adults, caregiving can become difficult because many already have a full-time job and children to care for in addition to managing their own lives. Luckily, there are many apps that can help caregivers save time, simplify, organize, or manage the care of an older adult loved one. These apps cover various needs, from managing medication and sharing caregiving duties to symptom checking and even emotional support. Here are nine caregiver apps that can make the caregiving journey easier.
Caring Village: Coordinate care among a group
Caring Village is a comprehensive caregiver app designed to help family caregivers manage and coordinate care for their loved ones. It offers tools for organizing tasks, sharing information with family members, and keeping track of important health information. The app focuses on care coordination and family communication, featuring a shared calendar, to-do lists, secure messaging, health and medication tracking, customizable care plans, and emergency contact lists. Its collaborative features allow multiple family members and caregivers to stay connected and informed. Caring Village is free, with optional premium features available through a subscription. You can download Caring Village from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
Lotsa Helping Hands: Coordinate care among a group
Lotsa Helping Hands is a caregiver app designed to help coordinate and manage care tasks within a community. It allows users to create private care communities of family, friends, and volunteers who can sign up to assist with various caregiving tasks, such as meal delivery, transportation, or companionship. Its features include a shared calendar, task assignments, community messaging, and volunteer coordination. These tools make it easy to organize and distribute tasks among a group, ensuring no single person is overwhelmed. The app is free to use. You can download Lotsa Helping Hands from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
Medisafe: Medication management
Medisafe is a medication management app that helps caregivers ensure their loved ones take their medications on time and correctly. It focuses on medication management and adherence through medication reminders and dose tracking. Additional features include drug interaction warnings, refill reminders, health reports, and the ability to share information with health care providers. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy to navigate and customize for individual needs. Medisafe is free to download, with optional in-app purchases and subscription plans for advanced features. You can download Medisafe from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
GoodRx: Medication management
GoodRx is a valuable app for caregivers managing medications for their loved ones. It helps users find the lowest prices for prescription medications at local pharmacies. The app focuses on cost savings and medication management, providing users with coupons and discounts for various medications. Features include price comparisons, prescription savings alerts, and tracking medication prices over time. GoodRx also offers information on generic alternatives and drug interactions, making it easier for caregivers to make informed decisions about their loved ones’ medications. GoodRx is free to download and use and does not require a subscription. You can download GoodRx from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
MyChart: For medical care and records management
MyChart is a comprehensive app that allows caregivers to manage and access their loved ones’ medical records and appointments. Developed by Epic Systems, MyChart is widely used by health care providers across the United States. MyChart focuses on providing a centralized platform for health information, offering features such as appointment scheduling, medication lists, test results, and secure messaging with health care providers. It also allows caregivers to manage multiple patient accounts, making it easier to keep track of various aspects of their loved ones’ health. The app is free to use, although access to its features depends on whether the health care provider supports it. You can download MyChart from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
WebMD: Symptom Checker
WebMD: Symptom Checker is a powerful tool for caregivers who need quick and reliable information about potential health issues. The app allows users to input symptoms and receive information about possible conditions and next steps for care. It focuses on symptom analysis and health education, featuring a comprehensive symptom checker, drug and treatment information, and access to articles and videos on various health topics. This app can be especially useful for caregivers who need to make informed decisions about seeking medical attention for their loved ones. WebMD: Symptom Checker is free to use and provides a wealth of medical information at no cost. You can download WebMD: Symptom Checker from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
Uber: Transportation assistance
Uber is an essential app for caregivers who need to arrange reliable transportation for their loved ones. While not specifically a caregiver app, Uber provides a convenient and flexible way to ensure that older adults can get to medical appointments, attend social events, or run errands. Uber focuses on transportation and convenience, offering features such as ride scheduling, real-time tracking, and cashless payments.
Caregivers can also use Uber Health, a service specifically designed for health care-related transportation, to schedule rides for patients. Uber Caregiver also allows caregivers to arrange for transportation for their loved ones in addition to grocery and over-the-counter medication delivery. The app is free to download, but users pay for each ride they book. You can download Uber from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
Calm: For self-care
Calm is a mental wellness app that can benefit both caregivers and their loved ones. It offers a range of guided meditations, sleep stories, and relaxation exercises to help reduce stress and improve mental well-being. The app focuses on mental health and relaxation, featuring guided meditations, breathing exercises, sleep aids, and calming music.
Caregivers can use Calm to manage their own stress and anxiety, as well as to help their loved ones find peace and relaxation. Calm operates on a freemium model, offering some free content with the option to purchase a subscription to access the full library. You can download Calm from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
Be My Eyes: For people with vision impairment
Be My Eyes is a unique app designed to connect visually impaired individuals with sighted volunteers for assistance through a live video call. While its primary focus is to help those with visual impairments, it can be a useful supplemental tool for caregivers of people with vision loss. The app focuses on providing visual assistance with tasks such as reading labels, navigating new environments, or identifying objects.
The app’s features include real-time video calls with volunteers, availability in multiple languages, and 24/7 service. With a large and active community of volunteers, Be My Eyes ensures help is always at hand. Be My Eyes is completely free to use for both volunteers and users needing assistance. You can download it from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store.
Caregiver apps can help you care for a loved one
Finding the right tools to aid in caregiving can significantly ease the burden and improve the quality of care for a loved one. These apps assist in various aspects of caregiving, from medication management to emotional support, ensuring that caregivers have the resources they need at their fingertips. Try out these caregiver apps to see which ones best fit your needs and help streamline your caregiving responsibilities. By leveraging these digital tools, caregivers can enhance efficiency, reduce stress, and provide better care for their loved ones.
