Useful apps for Silversurfers
iPads and tablets are brilliant for elderly family members – they are intuitive and easy to use even when fine motor skills aren’t what they used to be.
From entertainment to learning and staying in touch, an iPad is an ideal alternative to a computer and can help them feel connected at a time when technology changes come with increasing speed.
If you’re setting up an iPad or tablet for someone you love, here’s some of the most useful apps for the elderly worth downloading.
Skype
Skype for iPad is a free video messaging service that you can use to stay in touch with friends and family anywhere in the world. If you’re setting up an iPad for an elderly parent, you can create an account for them and leave the settings to online so they can always receive video calls and see who is online.
BBC iPlayer
BBC iPlayer makes it possible to watch TV from anywhere and catchup on programmes from the last 30 days. It’s free to download and use, and a simple navigation and search function means you can easily find your favourite shows.
BBC News
News apps are a great way to stay on top of the news without needing to navigate from website to website. BBC News is free to use – as is the Guardian. Many newspapers also offer digital subscriptions – like the Times for example – where you can log in and read all the stories from the printed edition.
National Trust
The National Trust app is a free app and a brilliant tool to help you find and plan days out. With guides to its 550 different locations around the country, you can use the app to learn about different locations and see upcoming events. It’s also easy to save your favourite places you’ve visited or want to go to – and you can save everything offline to use on the go, too.
Scrabble
Games are a great way to keep an elderly relative engaged and entertained. You can find digital versions of classic games like Scrabble which let you play online and offline, alone or with friends. Other puzzle games like Sudoku and crosswords can also provide hours of entertainment.
YouTube
From online cooking shows to nostalgic music videos, the sheer volume of content on YouTube is staggering. It can be very fun for elderly relatives to browse the site from an iPad – you can look up everything from old movie clips to useful video tutorials. The best part is – it’s all free!
MindMate
MindMate has been specially designed to help people over 50 get fitter, improve brain health and stay independent for as long as possible. It’s designed to help you reduce the risk of cognitive decline and is perfect for people with dementia and Alzheimer’s too. It has games to stimulate the mind, plus thoughtful features like My Life, which you can use to store personal information like preferred food and music when memory problems are already existent.
Do you use an iPad or tablet? Share your favourite apps in the comments below!
Rachel - Silversurfers Assistant Editor
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