4 High-Tech Medical Management Apps for Seniors

 

“I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” — it’s a catch phrase from a popular commercial in the late ’80s for a medical alarm pendant manufactured by LifeCall, an emergency alert service. The device was designed for elderly people who lived alone. If a medical emergency arose and they couldn’t get to a phone, they could speak into the device and be immediately in touch with a dispatch service. It was a technological medical wonder.

Technological medical wonders have come a long way since then. These sample medical management apps for seniors can make life safer, give caregivers more options for better care and ease the minds of relatives.

MedCoach

With age comes medication. This can mean more than one type of pill must be taken at a specific time during the day. Taking different prescriptions at different times of the day is a tough task to keep track of.

MedCoach is an app that sends you reminders to take your meds. You can download it right to your smartphone. With this app, you can have a list of your prescriptions readily available for your doctor, as well as an automatic connection to your pharmacy so you can refill them. MedCoach also gives you access to the First Databank national drug database to research medications.

You can create a reminder schedule for each medication and set as many reminder alarms as you want. When you take one of your meds, it will log the time you took it. You can also create an automatic refill reminder so you don’t run out of pills.

MedCoach is available for Android and iPhone users.

Cost: Free.

MediSafe

Not to be confused with MedCoach, MediSafe is the first medication management app for Android wearable technology, such as the Samsung Gear smartwatch.

Install the app on your smartphone, as well, and take-your-pill reminders will be sent to your smartwatch. All data is synced across tablets and smartphones via Bluetooth, so you won’t ever miss a reminder. In addition, you are automatically synced with pharmacies and electronic medical/health records companies. Your information can be sent to your caregivers or family members, as well.

MediSafe can be downloaded at the Google Play Store or Apple’s App store.

Cost: Free.

5Star Medical Alert

This app is the modern day “I’ve fallen and I can’t up” alert system.

5Star Medical Alert is an app provided by the service of the same name. It allows you to immediately access certified response agents who have been trained in procedures such as CPR. After the app is installed, 5Star agents will be able to automatically see your location by using GPS, will dispatch services, and stay on the phone with you until you get the help you need.

Not only The 5Star Medical Alert app is compatible with Android and iPhone.

Cost: Free to download, then $14.99 per month after a free 30-day trial with no contract or cancellation fees.

EDITOR: Since the purpose of a personal emergency response device is to call for help when you can’t reach a phone, I’m surprised that this app is listed here. The FTC says most PERS devices are worn around your neck, on a wrist band, on a belt, or in your pocket, and when you need help, you just press the transmitter’s help button. Models that feature accelerometers to detect a fall can call for someone who is unconscious.

iTriageHealth

iTriage Health has more medical management features than any other smartphone app; anything you want to know is at your fingertips.

The app lets you access health care & medical databases reviewed by Harvard Medical School for almost everything you need. Use it to check symptoms or find a doctor. It even has a medical dictionary that has information about thousands of health conditions and medications and more.

You can find the nearest medical facility when you need it and be provided with average wait times for emergency rooms and urgent care clinics. You can also set doctor appointments through iTriage. Emergency and health advice hotlines are available at any time.

You can also save your entire medical profile to your PHR (Personal Health Record) that is stored in the Microsoft Health Vault.

iTriageHealth is available for download at the Google Play Store or iPhone App Store.

Cost: Free.

Getting older means having to change certain things about your lifestyle; today’s technology is here to help you do that. “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” just got a whole lot easier.