About 25% of Internet info is accessed over mobile devices, from people who regularly read their email on their smart phone to students whose research depends entirely on Internet access vs. library access.
A recent article about iPad use at a Florida nursing home echoed my recent immersion in AARP’s national conference vendor area, where I was taken with just how many assistive apps are being developed for iPads and other tablets. One company developed a whole house full of lick-and-stick sensors that reported back to a tablet on the number of times refrigerators were opened, front doors unlocked, toilets flushed or electric devices operated. While such electronic surveillance might seem a little creepy, it’s a simple, unobtrusive way to monitor safety while assuring independence.
I spent a little time looking around for apps that might help seniors or family members. There are dozens, ranging from touch screen apps that put a voice to words to all sorts of specific physical therapy modules that lead viewers through exercises for regaining strength and mobility.
How can you tell if an app is worthwhile? Fortunately, many are quite inexpensive, in the $2.99 range. Look at the reviews, and read the descriptive text. One particular company I saw made the same spelling error in all 30 apps that they published on the same day. It’s clear they never even went on-line to review their descriptons, and that’s a sign of shoddy development.
You can ask your doc or therapist for app suggestions as an adjunct to their therapy. For many seniors, the ability of tablets to blow up text size is a plus, and the stroking movements make page turning easier. And there are many games that are essentially brain stimulating and small-motor improving fun sessions.
A recent article in the Press Herald noted the iPads move into senior communities, and I believe we’re just beginning to see the advance of tablet-based assistive technology.