Best iPad Apps for Senior Citizens

By Jeff Anderson on May 30, 2013

Seniors have been quick to adopt Apple’s iPad, a device that in their childhood would have seemed like a science fiction fantasy. According to a study by eMarketer, iPad use among seniors grew 190% during 2011. This powerful but lightweight touchscreen computer is the size of a notepad and so intuitive that even a two-year-old can use it.

We conducted an informal survey of older family members and friends to learn their favorite iPad apps. Here are the results:

Memory Aids

1. Pageonce (free):This app helps to track and organize bills, and even supports online bill pay.

2. BugMe! Stickies ($1.99): BugMe! lets you setup notes and reminders for birthdays, doctor’s appointments, and so on.

3. Find my iPad (free): Use a smart phone or a standard computer to quickly locate a lost iPad.

Socializing and Staying in Touch

4. Postcards (free):Designed for seniors, this simple apple allows your older loved one to easily view photos and videos that family members have shared.

5. Skype (free): Skype is for face-to-face video conferencing. Seniors can chat with grandchildren and other loved ones anywhere in the world.

6. Words with Friends ($2.99): Play a clone of the popular board game, Scrabble, with friends across the world.

7. Vtok (free): Vtok, an alternative to Skype, brings Google video calls to the iPad.

Lifelong Learning and Staying Mentally Fit

8. Crosswords ($9.99): Seniors are known for their love of crossword puzzles. This app puts a limitless number of puzzles at your loved one’s finger tips.

9. iTunes U (free): ITunes U by Apple makes courses by a wide variety of educational institutions easily accessible.

10. Luminosity (free): Play popular brain games designed to help people exercise their mind and stay sharp.

11. TED Talks (free): Watch free lectures and talks by scientists and thinkers of the 21^st century.

12. BBC News (free):The BBC has been the voice of the Free World since 1922. Read the latest world news or listen to the BBC World Service.

13. Virtuoso Piano 3 (free):Virtuoso is the perfect app for an older musician. Play piano and other instruments with the touchscreen.

14. WeatherBug (free): WeatherBug is among the most outstanding weather apps. Get forecasts, view the local radar, and get alerts from the National Weather Service.

15. iBooks (free): iBooks turns an iPad into an eBook reader. Font size and brightness can be easily adjusted for seniors with vision problems.

16. StockFish (free): Chess, known as the “game of kings” has been popular since the middle ages. Your chess-playing loved one will never have fret about finding an opponent with StockFish. Difficulty and playing style of the computer can be easily adjusted.

17. NPR (free): Public radio fans are sure to enjoy the NPR iPad app.

18. Art ($.99):Art is a virtual art museum and an art history course in one. View high resolution images of thousands of classic paintings and learn about the artists.

19. Living Earth ($1.99):This is a visually stunning app for weather and world-time. It shows a bright and beautiful simulated image of the Earth as it looks at this very moment, incorporating the latest satellite imagery to illustrate cloud cover.

20. Goodreads (free): A book lovers dream. Users can read reviews of books they are considering reading, rate and write reviews of books they’ve read, keep a log of books read, and receive recommendations about books that match their interests.

21. Wikipanion (free): Wikipedia is becoming a virtually repository for all human knowledge, and Wikipanion is one of the best apps around for browsing Wikipedia.

Screen shot of Living Earth, a weather and world-time app for the iPad.

Health

22. WebMD (free):Get health information and news from WebMD.

23. Med Reminder ($2.99):This app can help a parent or other old loved one keep track of their medicines.

24. Motion Doctor ($6.99):Have an ache or pain? Motion Doctor shows your loved one simple stretches and exercises that may help. It can even help seniors find a local physical therapist.

25. HeartWise Blood Pressure Tracker ($2.99): This is a great app for seniors who want to take control of their own health.

Adaptive Aids

26. Magnifying Glass (free): This app turns an iPad into a digital magnifying glass.

27. Big Calculator ($.99): As its name implies, this is a pocket calculator with really big buttons.

26. Dragon Dictation (free):This is an undemanding text recognition app that’s an excellent tool to help seniors dictate emails and other messages.

28. VizWiz (free): VizWiz allows someone with limited vision to get quick information about an object. Take a photo of an object, ask a question about it, and get an answer almost instantly from a worldwide network of volunteers. VizWiz also includes an “IQ engine”, which uses computerized object recognition.

29. Penultimate ($.99): Use your finger as a pen on the iPhone screen. Notes that you write in Penultimate are transcribed into digital text and can be saved.

30. Clevermind (TBD): Clevermind is still in development but is promising enough that we couldn’t resist mentioning it now. Designed for seniors with mild to moderate memory loss, demos show an app with a simple, intuitive interface and features that include brain training, reminders and entertainment.

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About the Author

Jeff attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks on an academic scholarship, and also studied creative writing at University of Hull (UK). He found his calling in 2009 when he began working with seniors and their families at A Place for Mom, and has immersed himself in writing and research about issues affecting older adults. He also enjoys literature, spending time with his daughter and recording music

13 Comments

Sharon Miller May 9, 2013 at 12:10 am

Just read your article "Best IPad apps." Very good and hopefully useful info for many. Do any of these work on the I Phone? Or have you already done a list that you can share? Many thanks! ~Sharon
Jeff Anderson May 9, 2013 at 6:19 pm

Hi Sharon,
Thanks for the kind words. We highlighted the iPad because it tends to be a bit more senior-friendly than an iPhone just because of its larger size, but almost all of these apps are also available for iPhone. Just search the Apple App Store for any one you're interested in.
Kind regards,
Jeff Anderson

AssistedLiving.Com Team
Minna May 24, 2013 at 8:29 am

Hi, greetings from Finland. In our project (Senioriverkko), we started to collect apps for eldelry here: http://www.scoop.it/t/appsforelderly Regards, Minna
P. Shiv Kumar May 26, 2013 at 1:05 pm

Very helpful.
Vic Ward June 1, 2013 at 3:43 pm

I've taught seniors how to use iPads and android devices for 3 years. I assure you an iPad isn't intuitive to most people who don't use a iPhone regularly. iPads are baffling computers with all the flaws a user interface can have. Seniors and many people over 55 don't have any idea what the internet can do, in addition. I suspect that most seniors that buy a mobile device place them aside and forget about them. So, I recently developed a way to tell new iPad and android device owners it isn't them. Check out this post. http://mypersonalipad.wordpress.com/2013/05/18/ipad-learning-curve/ I can't tell you how many times someone in my class says, "My grandson can use this thing. " Leaving out the implication, and, "Why can't I?" With rare exceptions, kids do kids things on computers, we want to do adult things. Play solitaire. (You can't download an app until you remember your password. No inexperienced iPad user can understand why? At least android tablets don't require a password every time you want it to do something not in the original package.) Take a photo and send it to a friend. (You have to be at least a novice.) Keep a calendar. Watch a movie. (Both are something an experienced user can do.) Try teaching beginners or novices how to check out an ebook, or an epub from their local library using Overdrive. Library web sites are some of the least hospitable sites I know about. It's not the seniors fault they are so complicated. Mobile devices are computers. They require more expertise than most commentators tell us about. Intuitive --- only after a lot of work.
Cathy July 24, 2013 at 9:09 pm

Jeff, it looks like this list issued the week before we released ConnectMyFolks -- a free app for the iPad. It's designed specifically for seniors or others who are tech-hesitant. Those who are added to an address book (this works as a white list to eliminate spam) can send email, photos and videos from any device or program. The senior receives them in a really simple format -- three large buttons. Check it out at www.connectmyfolks.com and keep us in mind for your next "Best" list! Thanks for all the great resources, in the meantime!
Bonnie Kuhn August 31, 2013 at 11:56 pm

Excellent list. Giving Seniors specialized aps that fit their needs is imperative. With a growing Senior Marketplace, and with so many computer savvy, these aps can help in many ways.
Fran McAllister February 24, 2014 at 4:38 pm

I never thought of getting an iPad for my 84 year old mother, but after reading about all of the apps that are available, I will look into it.
Ryan Bernstein March 1, 2014 at 2:51 am

Jeff great list! We just got an ipad for my grandparents, and I had no idea what to download and install on it. However I couple of others I found that you could include as well. INRIX Traffic Cost: Free Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/inrix-traffic-maps-routes/id324384027?mt=8 Good traffic app. My grandparents HATE traffic and won't drive if they believe there may be traffic. This one helps assuage their concerns Obituary Cost: $1.99 Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/obituary/id418696257?mt=8 Essentially it compiles obits from across the country and spits them back to you. I find it kind of weird, but they love to read obits so this one was by their own request. Fox News Cost: free Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fox-news/id367623543?mt=8 I personally think Fox news is a load of B.S., but my grandfather watches it religously, even though he complains about it. Anyways if they watch Fox news, which a lot of people over 60 do, then this isn't a bad app for them to have. Hope that helps other people looking to stock up the i devices of their seniors. -Ryan
Ryan Bernstein March 1, 2014 at 2:54 am

Jeff great list! We just got an ipad for my grandparents, and I had no idea what to download and install on it. However I couple of others I found that you could include as well. INRIX Traffic Cost: Free Link Good traffic app. My grandparents HATE traffic and won't drive if they believe there may be traffic. This one helps assuage their concerns Obituary Cost: $1.99 Link Essentially it compiles obits from across the country and spits them back to you. I find it kind of weird, but they love to read obits so this one was by their own request. Fox News Cost: free Link I personally think Fox news is a load of B.S., but my grandfather watches it religously, even though he complains about it. Anyways if they watch Fox news, which a lot of people over 60 do, then this isn't a bad app for them to have. Hope that helps other people looking to stock up the i devices of their seniors. -Ryan
Julie Brooks, MD July 10, 2014 at 7:09 am

For Health, WedMD is excellent. There is a lot of misleading "health" advice on the internet, and a good thumb rule is to stick to .org and .edu sites as far as possible. TedTalks is very intellectually stimulating, and the app is very good. Genealogy & family history research are absorbing and satisfying activities, with many free and paid apps and websites. A related area is scanning old family photos, and apps like Pic Scanner https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pic-scanner/id644278663 make it non-technical and approachable. For visual and aural stimulus, YouTube is the best: one can find video clips of almost any old (or new) piece of music - whether it is classical, a jazz standard, or 1960s pop.
Ed January 2, 2015 at 3:00 am

My 90 year old mother has lost her ability to use her iPad. Parkinson's. I live far from her. I also have an iPad. Does anyone know of an app to gain remote access to aniPad so that I can operate it for while she watches?
Lacey Rockwell February 3, 2015 at 6:42 pm

My mom loves her Ipad, she is on it all the time. One of her favorite things is being able to skype my kids. They love it, and she loves being able to keep in touch. I know I am very grateful for today's technology, but because I am able to keep in touch with my mom and dad. I haven't heard of lots of these apps, but I think my mom would love them. She likes knowing what is going on in the world, so apps that keep her updated would be good.

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