Older adults are not generally the population one associates with having the most know-how when it comes to online applications. Those over the age of 65 didn’t grow up with smartphones, and the World Wide Web didn’t even become available to the general population until the early 1990s (and was, of course, nothing close to what we know the internet as today).
Adult children of older adults might roll their eyes at what they view as basic technology questions from their parents, and many simply opt to set their parents’ devices to the easiest possible settings instead of going to the trouble of walking them through the process of setting up their email account or how to do a Google search.
However, helping older adults orient themselves online can benefit them in numerous ways, in particular, it can help them to better manage their medical and their everyday financial needs. Let’s get into why that is.
The internet can open up entire worlds for older adults. That might look like them rediscovering a favorite song from their childhood, or being able to access any library book they desire that can then be delivered straight to their Kindle or iPad. But something that is particularly helpful to older adults is something called Software as a Service, or SaaS. SaaS are cloud based applications that typically help manage various tasks, such as payroll or communications. Some popular apps you might be familiar with are Slack, Zoom, Canva or any of the community platforms mentioned here.
But why are SaaS platforms so useful to older adults, and how can they help them with their finances and medical needs? Let’s take a look.
Availability
Since all apps are cloud based, they are able to be accessed from any device no matter where you are. These aren’t systems that can only be installed and accessed from your home computer. Once you’ve set up an account you can simply download the app on all of your devices and access as needed.
Familiarity is very important to older adults, especially if they are experiencing any kind of cognitive decline. It can already be challenging enough to learn one system, so why not make it easy by using SaaS?
A study published in Science Direct also talks about how older adults tend to be less intuitive with products that younger generations, and familiarity is very helpful in managing that. Another reason why consistently using the same SaaS platforms across devices is a good choice.
Cost
Although large businesses generally have to have a subscription to a SaaS service, for individuals the software is often free unless you are using it on a large scale. For example, Google Drive offers a limited amount of space to store documents, but requires you to pay if you want to use more than 15 GB of storage. This is generally more than enough storage for the casual user, and is an easy way to share documents and photos among family and friends.
Unless someone is using a SaaS platform for work, there’s usually no need to pay for upgraded features or more extensive access. And, often those features can be accessed via a pay-per-use feature, which means you’re only paying for what you need, when you need it.
Older adults likely already have enough appointments, payments and other commitments to keep track of, so they don’t need to add on another monthly subscription to a piece of software they don’t use very often, or can only use on one device. SaaS platforms allow them to engage with others while keeping things affordable.
Not only is using SaaS platforms cost effective, but they can also help older adults better balance their medical and daily expenses with a variety of helpful platforms. There are several apps to choose from, but some popular choices include Mint, Simplifi and YNAB. These apps help users by letting them create a budget, track expenses and set up automatic payments. Some apps can even provide guidance and how to best navigate debt payments and how to manage retirement savings.
For an older adult who may be living with a serious health condition, it’s very likely that finances may be a major concern for them. Even if they do have coverage, there’s still likely a lot of out of pocket expenses, and trying to track that without support or a plan can quickly become overwhelming. These SaaS platforms help older adults break down their expenses in a manageable way so that they can prioritize their health while still enjoying the things in life that are important to them. Stress is a serious concern at any age, but can be especially dangerous for older adults who may already be battling multiple health conditions. Helping to keep their finances under control can result in major stress reduction.
Medical Security
Something that has been taking the healthcare world by storm in recent years is the expansion of SaaS systems set up in hospitals and in other medical environments, such as AdvancedMD. This might look like an application where you can view test results, appointments, immunization records and more. While some patients might be understandably hesitant about putting their personal medical information on an online platform, these applications have all been thoroughly vetted to make sure they comply with healthcare laws, and also boast robust security systems.
For example, MyChart is a commonly used platform that not lets users and their medical professionals view results and appointments, but can also allow patients to chat with their medical team. Some of its features might be modelled on some other popular appointment scheduling software.
Too often, important health information may be missed when a person switches between providers, moves states or goes to a walk-in on one day and a hospital ER on another. While you might think that your medical background is passed between providers, that information is often not transferred, meaning that an important symptom, condition or medication might be missed, which, in the worst case scenario, could have fatal consequences. With MyChart or another similar platform, that information is automatically uploaded, and, with your permission, can be shared with any medical professional you visit who uses the same system, meaning you don’t need to worry about a crucial piece of information being missed. Even if a provider you’re still doesn’t use the platform, if you have it on a device you can share that information with them so that you don’t need to keep a physical list of tests and medications with you.
Another way that SaaS platforms can be helpful for older adults is through apps like MediSafe, which helps patients keep track of when to take their medications, and can also give reminders about when to refill prescriptions. As more diagnoses pile up it can be very tricky for many older adults to keep track of when to take medications, especially if some of them need to be taken at different times of the day, on an empty stomach or with food, etc. MediSafe not only gives useful reminders but also gives insights that can help patients better track and understand their mediation habits, such as when they are most likely to forget to take their prescriptions.
As with anything new, learning the ins and outs of these programs takes time. But, once they’re ingrained, they can help make the lives of older adults all over the country so much easier, so that hopefully they can live out their golden years in comfort.
