With the arrival of the Coronavirus pandemic and the social distancing measures that have followed, we find ourselves ever the more grateful for the digital world. We are now in week Thanks to advancing technology, there are a myriad of ways to stay home and stay safe. Who would have thought that activities like, reading a bedtime story to your grandchild, shopping for groceries, or reading a book could now be done from the palm of our hand? If you need ideas, read on. And as the saying goes, there’s an app for that.
1. 1Password
If you have ever yelled at your tablet in frustration because you could not remember your password, you are not alone. In today’s world, you need a login for everything, and certain sites have different requirements – must have one capital, at least eight characters, one number, one symbol, your firstborn child… It’s impossible to keep straight! Enter 1Password, a site that is dedicated to keeping all 27 variations of the same, troublesome password in one place. 1Password uses advanced encryption to keep private information like your credit card numbers and site logins safe. Share passwords with family members and automatically sign into your favorite sites with one click.
2. Amazon Fresh, Postmates & Instacart
At a time when the thought of heading to the grocery store seems like more trouble than its worth, grocery delivery services are a godsend. An essential service, most grocery stores have adapted the shopping experience for these trying times. Employees wear gloves and face coverings. Carts are pre-sanitized and social distancing signs abound. Even still, it can be difficult to muster up the courage to go to the store, especially if you are a senior. Cue online grocery shopping. If you haven’t tried it yet, you should. Amazon Fresh boasts free delivery for Prime Members and makes it easy for you to interact with your “shopper” to swap out items, if they are not available. Walmart offers a partnership with Postmates, if you are budget conscious, and they have trained shoppers that will pick only the best produce for you. Instacart has consistently been noted for the best customer services. It also has a wide variety of stores you can choose from. So, if you want to shop at your typical store, they may be a good choice.
3. Medisafe
This app can be of significant aid to family members assisting with medications right now. Medication errors are one of the most frequently made medical mistakes. Every day, people take the wrong dose, the wrong med or completely forget to take their medications. Medisafe is a medication management app that does exactly what it promises - it helps you manage your medications. The app provides medication reminders, gives alerts for potential drug interactions, and notifies you when your medication needs to be refilled. The technology is intuitive, simple to use and even helps healthcare providers get better at preventing medication mistakes by reporting back on basic user behavior.
4. Caribu
Caribu is an app that connects kids to their family members. Think of it like FaceTime, but with games and books. There is a whole library of “virtual books” to choose from, so you can read your grandchild a bedtime story from your home, while they are in theirs. Play Tic-Tac-Toe, Pictionary, and more! The app is very safety conscious. Parents have to enter a password to add “members” that their child can call. Currently, as a way to help during this time, Caribu is making their app free for all users.
5. ICE – In case of emergency
For android users, this app contains vital information that responders can use should you need immediate medical attention. You can store your blood type, emergency contacts, medical notes and organ donor status. It is then, all made easily accessible by a button that becomes installed on your lock screen. For iPhone users, you can use the medical ID feature already installed on your phone and set the button to “show when locked” to ensure access even when you are not logged in.
6. Audible
For book lovers, the only thing more relaxing than cozying up to a good book is having a good book read TO you. With thousands of titles, authors and narrators, there is no shortage of outstanding books to choose from. Move aside tired eyes and achy hands, now you can have Frank Muller read your favorite Stephen King novel to you while you sip a cup of tea on the couch.
7. Netflix Party
It takes a bit of work, but once you get it installed Netflix’s “party watching” feature is pretty fun. To use it you first have to download the Netflix Party app. You can find the instructions for installing the app here. Once it is up and running, you can create a viewing party by inviting your friends to watch a show or movie together. Engage in lively discussion with the conversation feature on the sidebar. Hooray for movie nights that are “CDC approved”!