There Are Apps For This?!?

Let me first say that there should be absolutely no shock that I didn’t know about what I’m about to write about, considering that I am the last person you would call tech savvy. I do surf the net, of course, and look around for other blogs, and resources for caregivers, and, of course, I’m a big fan of internet shopping and book ordering but, I do not on a consistent basis use my laptop or my phone as the inimitable doorways to assistance, entertainment, information, and illumination that many others do. I am boring - and old - that way. (Although I shouldn’t really say ‘too old’ because my husband is older than I am and he knows quite a bit about, and utilizes many different, apps. Maybe I’m just lazy.)

Regardless. When I was doing research for my new book, I was trying to make the point that while technology and the Internet has, in many ways, revolutionized caregiving and how caregivers care for themselves and tell their stories, caregiving is still something that is done by instinct, by hand, from the heart, on the fly, and without the “apps” that we have all found so handy for doing everything else. Imagine my surprise to find out I was wrong. There ARE apps for caregiving.

So, I guess I have to face the fact, not only that I am something of a Luddite, but also that my point was even more true than I first thought: technology really is revolutionizing caregiving, and thank god, because something had to. Google alone has helped us diagnose our loved ones (and ourselves); find better doctors; investigate drugs that will help and products that will monitor and rescue; and locate services and people that will help us care. Through their websites, organizations dispense support and information, and even more resources. And don’t forget about blogs, which help us know we’re not alone in the wilderness, and sometimes make us laugh about the unlaughable.

So, all my fellow caregivers (who probably already knew all this)…spread the word! Tell other caregivers about apps you find, and blogs you love, and websites you discover, and every other cyber instrument that helps you do your job better, enjoy your life a little more. Better yet, tell me and I’ll pass them on. I’ve listed a few I found below.

 

http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/     One of the best information blogs on the web.

http://www.caregiver.org/     Has a state-by-state exhaustive list of resources and information. Fab.

http://www.lewybodydementia.org/  The Lewy Body Dementia Association.

http://lbdtools.com/    Lots of good stuff on LBD.

http://www.assisted-living-directory.com/     Housing choices.

http://www.hospicefoundation.org/    Hospice information.

http://www.alz.org/    Alzheimer’s information.

http://www.aplaceformom.com/blog/best-and-worst-apps-for-caregivers-07-03-2013/    A list of the most-used apps and how they rate.