Stay connected with these apps
22 Jan 2019
The best apps to help you communicate with others if you’re having trouble getting out.
Technology can often be seen as a bit scary as we age and that’s often down to the pace at which it develops and changes. It can be hard to keep up with the newest websites and apps as different ones seem to pop up all the time.
But, for the elderly, one of the greatest gifts of this hi-tech age is the ability to stay connected with friends and family via a range of different social media, messaging and video apps.
We look at some of the best ways to stay connected with your peers and relatives if leaving the house is starting to become a challenge:
This website, designed in the US as a social networking site, is the site that was the game-changer. An easy way to share photos, videos or send friends messages, Facebook is now the elder statesman of keeping connected and it’s very likely that you, or some of your Club members or friends, are on Facebook.
Setting up an account is relatively simple and using the site is easy too, so you can see friends in your news feed and form groups to organise events. If you’re not already on Facebook, it’s an effective way to stay in touch.
A smartphone-based messaging app, WhatsApp saves you money by providing free messaging, which can be helpful when you have friends overseas. You can send video and photos and form groups like Facebook, but WhatsApp also allows you to make phone calls or video calls, also without the cost of international phone charges. A money saver that’s quite easy to set up.
Photo-sharing apps
There are certain apps that are mainly designed for sharing photos. The biggest name is, of course, Instagram, which is a sensation with the younger generation. Many businesses feel they have to be on there sharing photos to help draw business.
But for seniors, although you can message people, Instagram isn’t essential – though you can keep up with family and friends sharing photos there. The same goes for Flickr, another video and photo sharing site.
Garden
Launched last year, Garden: Stay in Touch is an app that’s billed as a personal relationship manager. The idea is that we often lose touch with people simply because we forget to reach out to them. Garden will send you regular reminders to contact family and friends that matter to you most. It might sound a bit Big Brother, but as we age these connections become very important and sometimes all we need is that prompt to make sure a relationship remains strong.
Skype
Skype is yet another free, or very cheap, way to stay in touch through voice calls or video calls to relatives and friends that avoid long-distance phone charges. The big sell for Skype is that it’s one of the original calling apps and it has a very simple user interface, which makes it ideal for carers to set up so you can check in with them – so they can talk to you and how you’re faring.
Staying in touch has never been easier in our technological age, so make sure you have the basic training to reach out to family and friends.
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