Caring At Your Fingertips: 5 Hospice Caregiver Support Apps to Consider
Healthcare can be a tricky business. Somewhere between appointments and prescriptions, information seems to get lost, and caregivers know that very well. Organization helps, but neatly stacked notes often get shuffled into a pile of confusion. Here’s a hospice caregiver tip: now that we’re in the digital age, there’s an app for everything. The question is, are these apps actually useful? Dedicated to you and your loved ones online and offline, Crossroads Hospice reviewed and rated these five popular caregiving apps for caregivers.
1. CareSync
CareSync aims to build a better relationship between you and your doctor. Simply put, they connect people with data. The app allows you to access your medical data, prepare for appointments, organize questions and send them to your doctor in advance, send care reports, manage tasks, documents, photos and even take voice recordings during appointments. The list goes on.
Ease of Use: ✭✭✭✭
Cost: Free
Missing Features: The ability to schedule appointments through the app. This feature would only enhance a digital doctor-patient connection.
2. Lotsa Helping Hands
Lotsa Helping Hands is task app that will build a community around your loved one. The app allows you to invite other people caring for your loved one to one managed page. From this page you can create activities in the calendar and assign it to other people. You are able to drop in all the details with the swipe of your finger. Fill in appointment times, medical history and more all within the confines of your cellphone. In short, Lotsa Helping Hands is a personal assistant providing hospice caregivers support on-the-go.
Ease of Use: ✭✭✭✭✭
Cost: Free
Missing Features: The option to sync the app’s calendar with your personal phone calendar.
3. CareZone
Like many apps, CareZone focuses on organization. Their goal: simplify taking care of yourself and your family. Hospice caregiver support is so important to prevent caregiver burnout, so features like a journal, calendar and contact list make it easy to document symptoms, keep track of appointments and organize important phone numbers and emails. There’s also a handy med list option, which allows you to keep a detailed list of medications by just taking a photo. Kiss handwritten prescription lists goodbye.
Ease of Use: ✭✭✭✭
Cost: Free
Missing Features: A medication dictionary that allows users to quickly research their prescriptions.
4. CaringBridge
CaringBridge is all about being with loved ones when you need them most. Build a site, connect with friends and family and keep them constantly updated. Share thoughts in your journal, inspire and uplift other members with the guest book and organize hands-on help through the planner. With CaringBridge, no one has to go on a medical journey alone.
Ease of Use: ✭✭✭✭✭
Cost: Free
Missing Features: An alert system to let friends and family know if something serious happens during a surgery or procedure.
5. StandWith
StandWith is a mobile platform that streamlines communication and collaboration between caregivers and supporters in order to better assist patients. The features allow you to invite supporters, categorize them, post tasks, post patient updates, message supporters and use online vendors (such as delivery.com) to fulfill a caregiver’s needs. Overall, StandWith is a great way for caregivers to get the support they deserve.
Ease of Use: ✭✭✭✭
Cost: Free
Missing Features: StandWith does not give supporters the option to donate money.
While these apps aren’t flawless, each one is undeniably valuable in some capacity. No matter what your medical needs may be, there’s more than likely an app out there to provide hospice caregivers the support they need. So toss that pile of sticky notes in the trash, start downloading and help yourself help yourself.
For more information on hospice caregiver support, check out the Crossroads blog.
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