Best Mobile Apps for Caregivers

When an aging or infirm family member can no longer care for themselves at home, many move into their children's homes or have a caregiver move into theirs. These people who dedicate their time and energy to taking care of a loved one need support to organize their lives, schedule, healthcare options, and stress levels. A variety of mobile apps for caregivers have entered the market, and healthcare app development firms continue to introduce new ones as the need increases.

If you are the caregiver of someone who needs help the vast majority of the time, you may feel isolated or out of the loop when it comes to ordinary socialization and interactions. One of the biggest reasons to use mobile apps is to manage the care that you provide, however. No matter what health concerns or disabilities you deal with, there is an app that can help.

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Caregiver Apps for Community and Support 

• CaringBridge 

Caregivers need a lot of support. Unfortunately, many do not get enough from family and friends who do not want to get involved in the situation or do not know how to support them in the best way possible. The CaringBridge mobile app creates a virtual bridge that allows everyone to stay in touch, get involved, and receive updated information about the overall situation.

This works well for those with temporary healthcare issues, like during recovery from a surgery, for example, and people involved in an ongoing situation like in-home care for an elder.

• Lotsa Helping Hands

This caregiver app offers similar benefits to the entire family or friend group. It is a way to create a community of people who can all contribute to the care in one way or another. When all family members, friends, health aides, and support personnel have access to the same network, it makes sharing information and communicating needs easier. Best of all, it is a great way to offer encouragement and support to caregivers who often feel ignored.

• Caring Village

Although the common adage says it takes a village to raise a child, it can also take multiple people to properly provide care for an elderly family member or disabled friend. The “villages” (or communities) created within this app are useful for coordinating care tasks and needs with others. This mobile program includes a calendar for doctor appointments, medication charts, and communication options that make it easy to share updates and status reports.

Caregiver Apps for Healthcare and Medical Needs 

• eCare21

This unique, high-tech app is designed to integrate with wearable healthcare or medical monitors. The app not only connects with Smart Watches and FitBits to track activity levels and sleep patterns, but it can also record heart rate, blood glucose levels, and more. This app collects essential medical information needed for maintaining and improving health conditions. It can also create and send reports directly to physicians or other healthcare providers over long distances. 

This app is similar to ones associated with medical alert systems, although it does not provide that specific kind of monitoring, itself. These wearable devices notify the caregiver or authorities when help is needed quickly. Combining this type of system with the mobile apps listed in this article can provide a greater level of oversight that minimizes the stress of always being on-duty and on alert.

• Medisafe

Many elderly or infirm people who need a full-time caregiver may also take prescription medication. It is essential for health and longevity to take pills on schedule, never miss a dose, and never take more than directed. Health apps like this one keep strict control of medication plans and provide up-to-date information about pharmaceutical news and updates. A caregiver can ensure safe compliance with treatment plans and learn about other options to bring up with the doctor.

Other prescription medication management apps include MyMeds and PillMonitor. The RxSaver app can help find generic alternatives or discount plans for prescriptions. 

Caregiver Apps for Dementia and Alzheimer's Care

• MindMate

Although this app focuses mostly on people with a dementia diagnosis who are not overtly affected yet, caregivers also get real benefits. This app offers suggestions for cognitive stimuli, physical activities, and memory storage to help the affected person manage themselves and their condition more fully.

• Dementia Caregiver Solutions

This premium healthcare app for caregivers provides information and advice directly from experts in the fields of Alzheimer's and dementia. This is a helpful resource for immediate help when acute issues arise. Knowing you have this kind of app on hand can alleviate some of the stress involved with caring for people with these diagnoses. A similar option is called Alz & Dementia Daily Companion.

Caregiver Apps for Self-Care and Stress Relief

• Headspace

This and similar meditation apps can greatly alleviate stress, anxiety, and other issues commonly experienced in caregiving situations. Take some time for yourself to relax and focus on things beyond the health and well-being of the patient or loved one. This app offers five and ten-minute guided practices that allow you a short respite from your life’s stressors.

• Sanvello

A combination of a community full of support and activities that can help with stress, depression, and anxiety makes this app helpful for caregivers. While many different mobile apps help with socializing and connecting with other caregivers, this one specifically offers relief tasks created by cognitive behavioral therapy experts.

Final Words

The bottom line is that every individual has a different level of need for entertainment, relaxation, or community support. The person you care for may also have a wide range of issues that do not align with those of typical patients with the same or similar ailments. 

The fact remains that caregivers tend to experience high levels of depression, stress, and anxiety due to their work. It’s important that you take care of yourself just as much as you do your loved ones.

Caregiver resources exist both online and off, and it makes sense to find the best options for you. Reach out, find others going through the same things, and look for opportunities to take a break from your responsibilities safely, so you can continue to provide care as needed.