6 of the Best Apps for Caregivers
In the age of technology and the internet, there’s no shortage of digital resources that can help to help make life just a little bit easier. For many, those resources come in the form of mobile apps. While lots of these may seem unnecessary or even a little intimidating to figure out, there are lots that are easy to use and can prove worthy aids for loved ones and family caregivers of hospice and palliative care patients.
Your smartphone’s app store can be overwhelming to try and navigate – so Crossroads Hospice & Palliative Care has reviewed and rated these six popular smartphone apps for caregivers to help get you started in locating which ones are actually worth trying out.
1. Heart Failure Health Storylines
This app was developed with the Heart Failure Society of America and designed to assist patients with heart failure. Caregivers (and patients themselves) can choose from a list of various management tools, such as recording vitals, tracking medications, symptoms, and physical activity. The app also provides nutritional guidelines that help to advise caregivers how to fulfill the patient’s nutritional needs through a low-salt diet. Additionally, an appointment calendar keeps the patient and caregivers in check with scheduled appointments, procedures, various tests, and reminders.
Ease of Use: ✭✭✭✭
Cost: Free
2. Pocket Cancer Care Guide
The Pocket Cancer Care Guide app allows caregivers to easily compile a list of questions for healthcare professionals that can be used to guide important conversations between doctors and nurses. Caregivers can link appointments to lists within the app as well as record and play back answers from healthcare professionals to ensure accuracy for their future needs. Features within the app include a list of hundreds of questions to ask organized into categories for stages of a loved one’s cancer diagnosis as well as an extensive glossary to help caregivers understand complex medical terminology that their loved one’s doctors use in regards to their cancer diagnosis.
Ease of Use: ✭✭✭✭
Cost: Free
3. iPharmacy Pro
Patients living with a chronic illness are often prescribed copious amounts of medication to manage symptoms and pain. Keeping track of all prescription medication can be stressful for caregivers. iPharmacy Pro is a tracking app centered around organization and identification. Within the app, users can track all prescriptions and previously used medications, identify them, and check for any possible drug interactions.
Ease of Use: ✭✭✭✭
Cost: $0.99
4. Symple Symptom Tracker
Symple is a quick and easy way to keep track of symptoms that a loved one may be experiencing. Within the app, users can add up to 10 individual symptoms, track medications, activities, and meals. The data entered is compiled and tracked to create a graph that shows symptoms over time. The interactive graph and spreadsheet can be sent to doctors for evaluation. It can also easily be converted into a PDF file physician report. It’s easy and helpful for those looking to track and organize symptoms for a loved one.
Ease of Use: ✭✭✭✭✭
Cost: Free
5. Caring Village
The Caring Village App is designed for family caregivers to assist in their loved one’s care through a wellness journal where users can track symptoms, medications, and store documents. It helps caregivers communicate effectively with other healthcare professionals, family members, or even friends and neighbors. Within the app, caregivers access a secured messaging system where users can construct “villages” among friends and relatives to help organize joint care plans and personalized to-do lists. This helps give caregivers peace of mind knowing that their loved one’s care plan is being monitored.
Ease of Use: ✭✭✭✭✭
Cost: Free
6. Headspace: Meditation & Sleep
When caring for a loved one on hospice or palliative care, staying present and healthy can be a challenge while simultaneously battling with stress, grief, and caregiver burnout. It’s equally important to support oneself emotionally and physically. Headspace is an app that specializes in meditation, sleep, and stress management. This app teaches caregivers and their loved ones how to meditate, breathe mindfully, and live in balance through guided meditation techniques. Within the app, there are specially-designed sleepcasts to help users create better conditions for a good night’s sleep, an essential component of maintaining mental and physical health. This app is a great outlet for caregivers to stay healthy and happy through emotionally taxing times.
Ease of Use: ✭✭✭✭✭
Cost: Free
These smartphone apps for caregivers can help make the added responsibilities of family caregiving just a little easier easier to manage. For more information on hospice caregiver support, visit our website or call us at 1-888-564-3405.
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