The NHS has promised a digital revolution that will transform patient care. The NHS has a ten year plan to increase the use of technology to reduce ill-health. This includes the development of digital tools for the public to better manage illnesses.
However, research by the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps that evaluated digital health tools, such as apps for the health care service, has shown that older people are often missing out on the many benefits of technology.
Good Health looks at just some of the smartphone apps that could boost older people’s health
It found GPs recommend NHS-approved apps to more than twice as many people under 35 as those over 55 — even though the majority of older people said they would be more than happy to try using NHS-approved healthcare apps.
Patient Safety Learning, which advocates for better healthcare standards, claims that doctors don’t tell older patients about the wide range NHS-backed health apps that could be beneficial to their wellbeing.
Good Health looks at just some of the smartphone apps that could boost older people’s health, while Dr Trisha Macnair, a specialist in elderly care from the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice in Farnham, Surrey, gives her verdict . . .
Memories to help you cope with dementia
My House Of Memories is free on Google Play for Android devices or AppStore for Apple devices
Around 800,000. Most people with dementia are older and mostly affect the elderly. My House Of Memories seeks to comfort sufferers by storing images and sounds from the past.
This could simply be a picture of old currency from their childhood — such as a ten-shilling note — or a Singer sewing machine that may trigger fond memories of a relative who made clothes for them.
Personalised images — such as pictures of favourite objects, loved ones or old school friends — can also be uploaded to the app.
Expert verdict: ‘We know from caring for people with dementia that reminiscing over fond and distant memories can help them cope with their illness. It helps them feel engaged which improves their moods and quality of life. So I’m sure this could be beneficial — although it will need the help of carer to use it.’
You get medicine delivered right to your doorstep
Hey Pharmacist, Get Free AppStore or Google Play
According to the charity Age UK, around four million people over 65 in the UK are taking five or more prescription medicines — many on a daily basis.
It is important for older patients to have access to the medicines they need, even if many are housebound.
The NHS-approved Hey Pharmacist app allows patients to order repeat prescriptions from any pharmacy in England through the app and have them delivered to their home.
After downloading the app and submitting a prescription request, it’s checked by the patient’s GP and delivered within days. The app can remind the patient to order another prescription if supplies are low.
Expert verdict: ‘This is really useful. Working in elderly care, I’m constantly trying to persuade patients to use his kind of technology to ensure they don’t run out of their medicines.
‘Those comfortable using smartphone apps seem to grasp it quite easily — but it can be harder for those in their late 70s upwards.’
Do an exercise test at your home
EXi, available free on Google Play or AppStore
Family doctors wanting to assess an older person’s fitness often refer them for a six-minute walking test — how far they can walk in that time. It’s a measure of aerobic fitness and a crucial guide to overall wellbeing.
The EXi app allows patients the freedom to take the test at home or on a nearby walk.
It also creates a 12-week exercise plan based on each patient’s own health information — such as weight, underlying health problems and whether they smoke. The app gradually increases the patient’s exercise to the NHS recommended five sessions per week for the duration of the three month regimen.
Expert verdict: ‘This could be useful but we know that most people find it hard to get motivated to exercise unless there is someone with them doing it, too. This is especially true for older people, for whom the social interaction is as important as physical exercise.’
App to deal with leaks
Squeezy, £2.99, Google Play or AppStore
AN estimated seven million people in the UK — mainly women — suffer from urinary incontinence. Because the bladder muscles weaken with age, it tends to be more common in older people.
Pelvic-floor exercises are known to help combat the problem, but need to be carried out regularly and properly to have any real benefit — something many patients struggle with. The Squeezy app, aimed at both men and women, gives patients a pelvic-floor exercise plan that was developed by physiotherapists specialising in women’s health.
Users are given clear instructions on how to perform pelvic-floor exercises effectively — to improve bladder control — and a diary feature allows them to plot improvements in their condition.
Expert verdict: ‘A really helpful app. Half the problem with pelvic floor exercises is that you’re never quite sure if you are flexing the right muscles, but with this app to guide you, there is much less chance of that happening.’
Managing your heart health
Free app on Google Play and AppStore: Engage Self-Care
AT least one million people in the UK have atrial fibrillation, where an abnormal heartbeat means blood pools inside the heart’s pumping chambers — increasing the risk of a clot that could cause a stroke.
The average age at onset is around 75. Many stroke victims are dependent on the blood-thinning drug, warfarin, to lower their risk of getting hurt again. The drug should be monitored carefully as excessive use could lead to life-threatening internal bleeding.
This means regular tests at a clinic — usually every four to six weeks — to measure the amount of the drug in the blood.
The NHS-approved Engage app allows patients to do this at home — avoiding hospital trips — providing they have been given a testing kit by their GP.
The app stores readings and shares them wirelessly with the patient’s doctor, so they can monitor drug levels from afar.
Expert verdict: ‘Most patients on warfarin either need regular check-ups or have a district nurse call into them every few weeks to take a blood sample, but the app could make life much easier.’
Keep on top of your daily pills
Pillboxie, £1.79, AppStore
BILLED as the ‘easy way to remember your meds’, this app lets you record what tablets you need to take and at what time every day. But what makes this so user-friendly is it gives visual — rather than just text-based — reminders to take medicine.
If a patient needs to take a drug at 7am, the app will display a tablet in the form of a pillbox. The tablet will stay there until they tell the app that they have taken the drug. Separately, the app can flash a list of ‘medicines due today’, which can be checked off by the patient as they go.
Expert verdict: ‘Apps like this are a great idea and the visual element of it is likely to make it more user-friendly. I know that pharmacists sometimes have the need to call patients daily to remind them to take their medicine. Using this app could mean patients don’t accidentally skip doses.’
Sound to help you nod off
Pzizz is free on Google Play and AppStore
Many older people have trouble sleeping. This may be due in part to the fact that older people tend to sleep better when they are awake. The Pzizz app uses a complex blend of music, voiceovers and various background sound effects to create what the makers describe as a ‘Dreamscape’ to encourage sleep.
Expert verdict: ‘Sleep problems in the elderly are very common and they can become anxious about it, which can make it even harder to nod off. This app could potentially help.’
Keep mobile to ease pain
Google Play offers the free ESCAPE-pain App
When you are dealing with chronic pain, it is important to keep your phone on the go. The Escape-pain App is designed for pain sufferers who prefer to be mobile at home, rather than attending fitness classes. It provides videos that show gentle exercise, and allows users to track their progress and track how they feel.
Expert verdict: ‘We know that in conditions such as osteoarthritis, which affects around eight million people in the UK, keeping mobile is essential to help with pain control as it maintains muscle strength.
‘Apps like this can help patients find the right type and amount of exercise for them.’