Empowering Independence: Health Apps To Keep Seniors Living Alone Safe

4 min read

Old hands sitting on a cane

In our modern society, it is not uncommon for seniors to live alone, and their numbers are constantly increasing. According to a report by the National Institute on Aging, about 28% of people aged 65 and over live alone in the United States. This number is expected to grow in the coming years as the population ages.

Seniors face living alone face many challenges

With age comes declines in mobility, vision, and hearing, which can impact the independence of many older people, especially the ones who live at home alone. Daily activities can become significantly more difficult, exposing seniors to unique challenges that can impact their health and well-being. Falls, medication mismanagement and emergency situations are just a few of the risks that seniors living alone may encounter. With no one to look after them, undetected problems can become dangerous and lead to life-threatening situations. Fortunately, modern technology can help elderly living alone feel safer and regain their independence.

Mobile Apps : A possible solution for increasing the safety of seniors who live on their own

With the advent of mobile apps, seniors can now benefit from the latest technology to keep them safe and secure, which in return would improve their overall quality of life and help them live more independently. In this article, we present a compilation of safety apps designed for seniors that are available for download today. These apps provide a variety of safety features to help protect seniors and give their families peace of mind.

But apps are not for everyone

Limitations of health apps are that seniors must understand how to use them, be willing to do so, and must carry their phone with them most if not all the time. Health apps may therefore not be suitable for all seniors. A good open dialogue between seniors, their caregivers and relatives will be needed prior to adoption of a particular technological aid.

A selection of safety supervision apps for the elderly

We suggest that you take a look at these four check-in apps that can provide a sense of safety and security for independent seniors living alone. With these apps, seniors can feel reassured that they have a reliable safety net and the peace of mind that comes with it.

The AllsWell Alert app is a personal safety and emergency alert app that can be used by people of all ages. It combines a panic button function with inactivity monitoring, so that even if the user is unable to press a button, their emergency contacts will still be notified. The app also uses the smartphone's location services to determine whether the user is active, and will notify their emergency contacts if there is an emergency.

apple is available for this applicationandroid is available for this application
Free
In-app purchases

Snug Safety is a mobile app designed for seniors living alone who desire a check-in system for reassurance and peace of mind. The app provides a daily check-in feature, which requires the user to respond by a selected daily time. If the user fails to check-in, a Snug dispatcher will call to ensure their safety. If the user is still unresponsive, emergency contacts are alerted, and emergency services are called for a wellness check. Snug Safety can also be used to call a personal dispatcher in the event of an emergency, such as a fall or other medical concern.

application icon
Snug Safety
Snug Products LLC
apple is available for this applicationandroid is available for this application
Free

The Senior Safety App is a mobile app designed to help elders living alone feel safer and more independent. It includes many features, such as a 24/7 GPS tracker, an alert system that sends a message if the senior falls or is inactive for a long period of time, and also includes a geo-fencing feature to receive alerts when the senior leaves or enters a pre-configured area. There is also an emergency medical information feature that stores essential medical details directly in the app, so these important information are accessible at all times.

application icon
Senior Safety App
Pulse Solutions Team
android is available for this application
Free
In-app purchases

The ElderShare Tracker app helps people suffering from dementia and their relatives by providing a way to track the person's location and send notifications to care givers when the person leaves a set Home Location. The app also periodically sends text updates with the person's location, including a link to an online map with a pin marker. Once the person returns to a set Home location, a final text notification is sent.

Mobile apps can make living alone less dangerous for seniors

Apps such as those mentioned above provide features such as emergency contacts, inactivity alerts, fall detection and GPS tracking to help seniors maintain their independence and stay safe. Overall, safety features include:

  • Allowing users to add emergency contacts who will be notified if something happens. This can include family members, friends, or even 911 dispatch.

  • Setting inactivity alerts to notify designated caregivers or emergency contacts when there has been a prolonged period of inactivity from the app user, indicating a potential emergency or injury.

  • Fall detection using the accelerometer in a smartphone to detect when a person has fallen. When a fall is detected, the app will notify emergency contacts and send them the person's location. This can be helpful if a senior falls and is unable to get up or call for help.

  • GPS tracking allowing family members or friends to track the location of a senior in real-time in case of an emergency.

Safe apps for safe living

Ensuring the safety of older adults is crucial to improving their overall quality of life. In this article, we have presented a compilation of examples of safety apps designed for seniors that are available for download today. These apps provide a variety of safety features to help protect seniors and give their families peace of mind.

If you or someone you know is looking for more information on health apps that can help the elderly, for example those living with dementia, be sure to visit AppGuide's Dementia page (found under Health Conditions).

Your health care professional can help you choose

Feeling confident is important. Get all the essential information about health apps by talking to your healthcare professional.

AppGuide provides reliable information about mobile health apps that allows patients and healthcare professionals to make informed, shared decisions about using a health app to track health status or act on your priority health goals.

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