Life as a caregiver is tough. Whether you’re providing care for a child, sibling, friend or aging parent, there are so many things to remember and it seems like there’s not enough time in the day to get everything done. You have to juggle schedules, medications, doctors visits, and somehow find the energy to cook, clean and take care of your own health too.
The good news is, with modern technology you can get a helping hand, right when you need it most. Here are seven apps that will help family caregivers track symptoms, remember medications and call in help when it’s needed.
CareZone
CareZone is all about managing medications. It allows you to scan pill bottles to create a handy and detailed list of medications that can be easily shared with doctors. It will send automatic reminders to help you distribute meds on time, and remind you when it’s time to order a refill too. It even offers a handy delivery service that will bring the meds right to your door – no need to waste time waiting in line at the pharmacy. Scan in health insurance cards to always have a digital copy handy, and the app’s brokers will even help you find better deals on health insurance through Medicare.
CaringBridge
One chore that many caregivers wish they could do more efficiently is keeping friends and family up to date on their loved one’s health journey. With CaringBridge, you can create a website that allows those you invite to see pictures, videos, and updates you post. You can create a private page, only visible to a select few. Or post a public site that anyone and everyone can see. Friends and family can post comments and well wishes. And you can even start a fundraiser to help pay for medical bills, equipment, or other health-related needs.
DispatchHealth
How wonderful would it be if the next time your loved one is sick or hurt, you could just pick up your phone and have a qualified medical team come to their home or senior community? With DispatchHealth, this modern-day house call is possible! This amazingly handy app is a simple way to get ER-level care delivered so you or your loved one can get treatment on your terms, without completely disrupting your day.
Each medical team consists of either a physician assistant or nurse practitioner, along with a DispatchHealth medical technician (DHMT).
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will meet you wherever is most convenient, and can treat complex injuries and illnesses including urinary tract infection (UTI), respiratory infections, fall injuries, the flu, sinus infections, sutures and more. And all of this is without the waiting rooms or hefty bills. In fact, they accept most major insurance as well as Medicaid, Medicare, and self-pay for the uninsured.To ensure continuity of care, they provide a detailed visit report to the patient’s living facility, home health agency and/or primary care physician.
In addition to the app, care can be requested on their website or through a quick call.
eCare21
Looking for a solution to help you monitor your charge’s vitals, medications, activities, and symptoms? This handy app lets you check in on a loved one, whether you’re in the next room or around the world. With wearable devices, the app can monitor blood pressure, glucose levels, heart rate, medication adherence and more. It can tell you how much sleep they got last night, or how much physical activity they’ve done. And if your doctor is a participating physician, it can even share the results with his or her practice, giving your medical team more insight and data to help provide the best possible care.
Lotsa Helping Hands
Caring for a loved one can be an all-consuming endeavor. But with a few helping hands, it becomes a bit more manageable. And with Lotsa Helping Hands, you can work together with friends and family to make sure everything gets taken care of properly. Coordinate rides, get meals delivered, arrange for child care, and keep everyone in the loop with ease. Share your community page with friends and family, neighbors, or the world at large.
Medisafe
With only one medication to take, it’s often simple to remember. But if there are several medications to manage, with different dosages and schedules, how do you keep it all straight? Medisafe is an excellent tool for managing all of your loved one’s medications in one easy and helpful app. It will help prevent missed doses, and provide helpful reminders like “take with food”. It’ll also help spot drug interactions and send you refill reminders.
PainScale
Managing a loved one’s pain symptoms can be easier than you’d think with this simple and convenient app. The app lets you log symptoms, keep track of treatments and medications, and have a diary of related data like activity, sleep and mood. This enables you to have all the information needed to report to the doctor. It also includes a wealth of physician-reviewed medical information to help you make more informed decisions for your loved one’s care, and know what options exist for treatment of chronic pain.
Most caregivers agree that taking care of a loved one can be an all-consuming task, and it can be easy to feel burnt out. But with these helpful and handy apps, caring for your loved ones just got a little bit easier.
