Reaching retirement is a monumental life goal. As a wonderful reward for many years of hard work, you can now see those retirement dreams come true and set new and exciting goals. Whether your dreams and goals include consulting, volunteering, traveling, starting hobbies,or simply enjoying the grandchildren while staying as mentally active as possible, this new phase of life will most likely be filled with brand new activities and routines. Of course, new goals, activities, and routines may require some new resources—things to help your life after retirement. To kickstart your new resources research, this article provides information on some of the best apps for seniors (and the rest of us!) on the market today. These beneficial apps can easily be downloaded and installed on your smart phone, tablet, or computer.
Communication Apps
Easily stay face-to-face with family members who live far away and never miss a call from a potential consulting client or volunteer director again with a video calling app installed on your phone, tablet, and/or computer. Skype and Facebook Messenger are some of the best apps for seniors in this category. No matter what brand of smart device or computer someone is using, the Skype app allows free (and affordable international) face-to-face calls, as well as voice calls. Additionally, Facebook Messenger, a supplement to the social media app, can be used for video, voice, or text messaging.
If you need something to help keep track of your to-do lists, notes for your memoir, or keepsake journal entries, check out Google Keep. Google Keep is a free notetaking and to-do list making app, as well as a reminder tool for all your smart devices that, if needed, can easily be shared with others. Evernote is a similar type of notetaking app that categorizes as well as records and keeps voice notes, a wonderful documentation aid for genealogy work.
Helpful Apps
Some of the best apps for seniors are ones that help you with daily activities. New routines may require new reminders or other helpful resources, particularly if you live alone. For example, forgetting medications or vitamin supplements can lead to poor health. Health reminder apps like Medisafe and Care Zone can be downloaded to serve as a daily reminder about important medications, as well as a way to track all your health information.
Additionally, if you have trouble reading small print on something while away from home, there are several apps on the market that turn a phone’s camera into a Magnifying Glass with Light (also the name of the app).
For those who have trouble locating a parked car when traveling to new places, apps like iCarPark can help locate your car. And if you have trouble remembering all those new passwords, the 1Password app can keep them stored so that you only have to remember one.
Entertainment Apps
A new phase in life may pave the way for new forms of entertainment. There are lots of apps available that provide entertainment on many levels. For example, if you are feeling nostalgic the Old Time Radio 24 app offers radio shows and songs from the 1920s through the 1970s. If you love to read, but have a hard time fitting it into your new schedule, both the Audible and LibriVox apps will read your favorite books aloud, a great way to pass time while traveling. Similarly, apps like Downcast and Luminary offer audio programming, talk radio, and investigative content. Brain-boosting apps like Lumosity and Happify can be entertaining while keeping your brain sharp. And, if going out to eat and traveling is your kind of entertainment, consider adding the AARP Now app to your phone if you have not done so already. It is full of useful information, discounts, and coupons.
Of course, there are many other apps that could be included on this list of best apps for seniors. The apps mentioned above are meant to kickstart your own resource research. Apps can be downloaded from your personal smart device’s app store. While inside the app store, take a look around, look at the different app categories, and read the app reviews. You are sure to find a few new resources that will help you live your best retirement life.
A cautionary reminder: It is critical to beware of potential online scams/schemes and keep your data privacy settings updated when using apps.