With advances in medicine moving at the speed of light, it’s no surprise that the face of senior healthcare is changing, moving out of the doctor’s office and into the comfort of the home.
With telemedicine, patients don’t even have to step foot in a hospital or office. Doctors can hold two-way, real time interactive communication conferences remotely. With the use of interactive telecommunications equipment as simple as a microphone and video screen, seniors can communicate with their healthcare provider even when they aren’t in town to see them personally. It’s like being able to take your family physician on vacation with you.
Some technology has even made certain aspects of senior healthcare self-service. Smartphone applications provide older adults with the ability to be hands-on with their health and receive health tips for seniors, even on the go.
Here are a few of our favorites.
For arthritis:
The Arthritis Foundation’s TRACK + REACT program for Apple and Android devices lets you keep logs of pain and other symptoms while you’re on the go.
The senior healthcare experts at Deupree House know that there are powerful connections between doing and feeling. This convenient smartphone application utilizes a simple interface to help you keep track of your daily activities and symptoms. The program’s analytics identifies patterns and connects the dots between behavior and symptoms in a personalized Arthritis Impact graph.
Get the most out of your doctor’s appointments, or teleconferences, by sharing the application’s results with your healthcare provider.
For diabetes:
Glucose Buddy provides “the best, free way to manage diabetes.” The comprehensive features help you manage every aspect of life with diabetes—recording blood glucose levels and medication doses as well as diet and exercise. Make notes on your records, view graphic representations of your data or share tips and stories with other diabetics via the forum without ever having to turn on your computer.
Glucose Buddy also allows you to set notifications to remind you when it’s time to check your blood glucose.
For memory support:
Every smartphone comes with applications that can help older adults dealing with memory loss keep their schedules on track.
MedSimple integrates these kind of scheduling features with other aspects of senior healthcare. Not only does the program help keep track of medications, but can also help you save money on prescriptions with a number of customer convenience and rewards features. Set reminders to take your medications or refill a prescription, then check out the cost saving recommendations of licensed pharmacists.
For overall health:
A healthy lifestyle starts with healthy habits, and GoMeals helps seniors make the right choices. This application goes beyond simple calorie counting, helping you keep track of your exercise activity and find healthy options even when you’re eating out.
The food tracker allows you to search a database of over 40,000 common foods and 20,000 restaurant menu items to view the nutritional data of all your favorite dishes.
Use the activity tracker to record daily exercise, figure out how many calories you've worked off, and create a customized workout routine.
With the restaurant locator, you’ll never have to worry about eating right on the go. Browse the menus of nearby restaurants from more than 200 chains listed to find healthy meal options then call for reservations or to check wait times.
Diabetics, or any other seniors worried about managing blood sugar, can keep track of glucose levels in the blood glucose tracker.
If you want to go high-tech with your healthcare, but aren’t quite sure how to use all your gadgets and gizmos, look into classes at your local senior center or retirement community.
Deupree House offers technology classes to help residents master their smartphones and other devices.
