7 Useful Apps for Caregivers

A smartphone has the potential to be one of the most useful tools in a caregiver’s toolbox. When it’s loaded with great apps, a smartphone can help keep track of prescriptions, doctor’s appointments, and health issues, just to name a few things. Smartphones can also help caregivers coordinate with family, de-stress after a long day, and even decide what to have for dinner.

Here’s our handy list of useful smartphone apps for caregivers. All are available on both the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.

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1. Alzheimer's Caregiver Buddy
   

The Alzheimer's Caregiver Buddy provides tips and tricks on how to better care for someone with memory loss. The app advises caregivers in areas such as daily routine, communication, behaviours, and activities of daily living.

Other features:

• Instant caregiver help and advice
• Tips for dealing with wandering, bathing, and meals
• Help with difficult behaviours and communication challenges

Link: iOS | Android

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2. Medisafe
   

Medisafe is a fantastic app that manages loved ones’ prescriptions and medications for caregivers. The app provides a simple interface that tracks which medications need to be taken and when. Reminders are sent when it’s time to take a dose and a tracker is used to confirm. This reduces the likelihood of missing a dose or taking a double dose.

Other features:

• Family alert system that notifies a loved one when medication isn’t taken
• Feature to manage medications for people who don’t have smartphones
• Counter that tracks remaining pills and notifies when refills are required

Link: iOS | Android

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3. First Aid by the Canadian Red Cross

The First Aid app is designed by the Canadian Red Cross and provides quick access to instructions on how to handle common first aid issues. This is a great app that prepares caregivers for potential emergencies. The app provides step-by-step instructions that are easy to follow as well as video tutorials.

Other features:

• First aid tips that cover medical issues in 22 different categories, including Broken Bones, Diabetic Emergencies, Seizures, and many others
• Tips on how to prepare for emergencies like fires, power outages, and winter weather
• Pre-loaded content so the information can be accessed without internet once the app has been downloaded

Link: iOS | Android

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3. WebMD

The WebMD app provides access to a wide amount of medical information. It’s a useful tool for any caregiver who needs to research medical conditions that their loved one may be experiencing and learn how to deal with them. Users can input symptoms in the app to find related medical conditions and do further research.

Other features:

• Thorough information on a variety of medical conditions including symptoms, risk factors, treatments, and more
• Drug and medication info including uses, side effects, warnings, and more
• Pill identifier feature that identifies prescription drugs by color, size, and imprint

Link: iOS | Android

5. Pacifica

Pacifica is an app designed to improve mental health for those experiencing stress, anxiety, and depression. Caregivers are prone to these issues, so Pacifica is a useful tool that may provide some relief.  The app uses methods designed by psychologists that are based on cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness meditation, relaxation, and mood tracking. Pacifica helps break the cycle of negative thoughts and effectively manage mental health.

Other features:

• Guided lessons and activities to help with stress, anxiety, and depression
• Mood tracker to rate mood, add notes, and track patterns and improvements over time
• Communities and groups for sharing advice and getting support from others

Link: iOS | Android

6. Allrecipes Dinner Spinner

The Allrecipes Dinner Spinner app makes it easy to figure out what’s for dinner. Allrecipes has a community of over 30 million home cooks who contribute recipes and vote on their quality. This is a great app for busy caregivers who may not have time to decide on dinner plans in advance. The app makes it easy to search by keyword, ingredients to include/exclude, dietary needs, cook time, and more.

Other features:

• Advanced search feature that can find recipes based on ingredients already in the house
• More than 1000 step-by-step tutorial videos that show how to make recipes
• Shopping list feature that can add entire recipes or ingredients to the list with one tap

Link: iOS | Android

7. Mindbliss

Mindbliss is a guided transcendental meditation app. It provides a variety of different meditations designed by world-renowned teachers. Caregivers can use this app to get some much-needed calm after a stressful day. It teaches basic meditation skills that can help lead to a healthier, happier life. The app is free to download and offers several free sessions but it also has a subscription service which gives access to the full collection of over 300 meditations.

Other features:

• Meditation categories including performance, wellbeing, sleep, and more
• Choice between single meditation sessions or longer journeys with multiple parts
• Intelligent algorithm that matches your needs with specific meditation sessions and journeys

Link: iOS | Android

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These apps can help you take caregiving to the next level by saving time, making tasks easier, and keeping things organized. Download them today to experience the benefits they can add to your daily care routine! Make sure to visit our blog to find even more great resources for caregivers, like our 5 Tips for Dealing With Caregiver Burnout.