As you enter your golden years, it is time to think about ways you can live smarter, not harder. That includes making practical plans like ensuring you have enough saved for retirement and taking the essential steps to care for your health and well-being.
Which technology can help older adults stay healthy?
Streaming Services
Looking for an easy way to stay fit at home? You can access a wide range of free videos online that can help you keep to your senior wellness goals. For instance, you can use your tablet to check out online yoga videos, which can improve strength, balance and even your emotional well-being. You can find videos that fit any experience level, from beginner to expert
Virtual Assistants
By now, you’ve likely seen the ways that virtual assistants, such as Siri and Alexa, can connect your home, but did you know that this tech can keep one happy and healthy, too? Aside from more practical uses, like helping you find misplaced gadgets or talk to other household members, these virtual assistants can provide an easy way to call for help, pull up healthy recipes, or even prevent feelings of isolation by helping to alleviate loneliness.
Smart Light Bulbs
You may be wondering how smarter lighting can equate to healthier living. Well, as Merck points out, older adults experience more serious and life-threatening falls than other adults. One of the most common causes of senior falls around the home is poor or uneven lighting, which means that switching your traditional bulbs for smart lighting can help reduce your own risk of suffering a devastating fall in your home. It’s just one of many home automation features that can keep you safe and healthy in your home, and you can use your virtual assistant to connect many devices.
Smartphone Applications
When you need to stay healthy and happy on the go, there’s no better tool than your smartphone. That’s because health and wellness apps are a popular option these days, and Healthline lists the many ways that you can use these apps to stick to your health and wellness goals throughout your golden years. Whether you want to keep your brain sharp with apps like Lumosity or track your calories with apps like MyFitnessPal, you can find tech tools to help.
Finding Accommodations
Is it time to downsize? Real estate or rental apps make it easier than ever to find a senior-friendly home you can afford. If you need to start researching assisted living or nursing facilities, you can find tons of detailed information online. For example, a site like Caring.com provides comprehensive facility reports, reviews, payment options, and cost information on nursing homes near you.
Why should older adults use technology to stay healthy and safe?
Since tech gadgets can require a substantial investment, you may be wondering why you should care about using technology to manage your mental and physical health in the first place. Well, tech can help take the guesswork out of tracking and improving so many elements of your overal health and well-being. From heart health to weight management, technology like fitness wearables can relieve the stress of managing these essential health habits.
Many people opt to take on a part-time job in retirement. Staying in the workforce on a self-driven schedule is a great way to stay active, sharp, and avoid isolation – not to mention it’s an opportunity to pad your nest egg. Make sure that if you elect to become a seniorpreneur, you take extra precautions in keeping data safe. Use strong passwords on all your devices and invest in some quality antimalware software to help protect against cybercrime.
Health and wellness tech make staying healthy in retirement easier. The more you take an active role in your physical and mental health, the more satisfied you may feel with your life, which will help you make the most of your golden years.
Written by: Alyssa Strickland
Alyssa Strickland created millennial-parents.com for all the new parents on the block. Alyssa believes the old adage that it takes a village to raise a child, but she also thinks it takes a village to raise a parent! Millennial-Parents is that village. Today’s parents can be more connected than ever and she hopes her site will enrich those connections. On Millennial-Parents, she shares tips and advice she learns through experience and from other young parents in three key areas — Education, Relationships, and Community.