How Seniors Can Stay Happy and Healthy with a Smartphone

Over 90 percent of adults over the age of 55 are at risk of developing or have already developed high blood pressure, and 80 percent of seniors have at least one chronic health issue — while 77 percent have at least two. As you age, finding ways to take control of your health is crucial for those that want to extend their lives and improve their overall physical and mental well-being.

In the past, promoting positive health has been difficult. However, in today’s technology landscape, your smartphone can be your personal health companion, promoting positive activities and helping you get access to critical medical support and funding.

Apps that Can Help Seniors Stay On Top of Their Health

Over 50 percent of those aged 65 and up now have smartphones in America. And, with over 2 million applications on the marketplace, seniors have plenty of options when it comes to health-promoting apps. Let’s go over a few of the more popular health-related applications.

Drugs.com Medication Guide

With the most comprehensive database of drugs on the planet, the Drugs.com app lets you quickly search for drug information, drug side effects, and even drug interactions. Plus, it has a pill identification feature for when you can’t remember which pill you have.

Lumosity

As you get older, parts of your brain start to naturally shrink — including those associated with learning and processing. Lumosity gives you daily brain-training activities like puzzles and games. These can help improve critical thinking and memory.

HealthTap

Ever wanted to access millions of answers to health questions from actual medical doctors? HealthTap lets you dive into doctors’ advice and medical articles.

MyFitnessPal

From weight management to nutrition tracking and exercise guides, MyFitnessPal lets you keep all of your healthy activities tracked.

Finding Medicare Funding With Your Smartphone

Of the 58 million people enrolled in Medicare, 50 million of them are enrolled due to their age. Medicare provides healthcare support to those over the age of 65, regardless of their income or medical history. This makes medicare a powerful support pillar for aging adults who want to stay up-to-date on their doctors’ visits and make sound, financially-safe medical decisions.

Luckily, you can apply for Medicare straight through your smartphone. Not only does this make the sign-up process easier than going down to your local Social Security Office, but it saves time and gas, and it allows you to start and stop the application at any time. Simply go to the SSA.gov website on your smartphone browser and click Apply for Medicare online to get started. Remember, you should only enroll for Medicare at the SSA.gov website, and you should be ready for a semi-lengthy process that will ask you personally identifying questions.

Make Sure That You Have the Right Phone

If you’re one of the over 40 percent of seniors who don’t have access to a smartphone, now is the time to upgrade. Having an up-to-date smartphone with all of the necessary specifications to empower your health-ready applications can be an amazing tool for seniors.

While there are plenty of options on the market, we recommend the Samsung Galaxy S10 that has a fast Snapdragon processor that will allow you to run all the latest apps. Plus, it has strengthened glass to prevent damages from drops (we still recommend a phone case), and it has a solid battery life to prevent you from having to charge the device constantly. Of course, you could also opt to purchase an iPhone like the iPhone 11 Pro, which has received stellar reviews and plenty of praise since its arrival.

Access to a smartphone may be the smartest decision you make regarding your health as you age. With a wealth of apps at your fingertips and a browser that lets you navigate the web to use the increasing number of digital health tools and online sign-up forms, picking up a smartphone may be the smartest health decision you make all year.

Article by selfexam.org