Mobile and smart devices like tablets have found their place in classrooms and learning facilities where they are put in use to teach children and youths. However, there is another set of demographics for which smart tablets are proving incredibly helpful. It is senior citizens.
While it's true that older adults are not as quick in adapting to the changing technologies as compared to the younger generation, there are many technical devices designed especially for older adults.
For anyone caring for elderly loved ones, finding a way to simplify their lives is a priority. Technologies like the tablet for seniors and user-friendly devices are offering many advantages to both the seniors and well as the caregivers.
Besides being light-weight to offer ease of portability, a senior tablet provides a wide range of benefits to its users.
But before we dive into these benefits, let's understand what makes tablets easier to use for a senior as compared to other devices.
Some of the critical characteristics of a tablet are its small size, lighter weight, and simple interface. However, despite being small in size than a laptop or a computer, tablets feature a large screen with big icons. Navigating through a tablet by using a stylus or touch screen is much easier for a senior with dexterity issues. Besides this, the tablet allows greater ease to increase or decrease icon size and brightness, further offering the ease to customize screen resolution.
When it comes to operating technology, seniors have to face a lot of challenges. It could be anything from physical impairment, lack of guidance, to lack of confidence. However, more and more adults are engaging with smart devices and making them part of their lives. According to research, one in every three seniors own a tablet and use it to communicate with their family and friends.
1. It Improves communication in Adults
Most seniors live alone or far away from their families. Such seniors often suffer from depression due to isolation. Staying virtually connected with their family and peers is the best way to overcome loneliness and depression. Tablets for seniors help in enhancing communication skills in older adults. Such devices come loaded with features like voice and video calls, texting, and emails. It can also be used to browse the internet or connect with others on social media platforms.
Some smart tablets have inbuilt speak-to-text software that enables the user to do away with the need for typing. Aged people with physical limitations or arthritis can make use of such innovations and stay connected to their loved ones.
Not only this, but smart devices like the tablet for seniors also have the TalkBack screen reader feature making it easier for a person with visual impairment operate the device optimally.
2. Fight Depression and Loneliness
Numerous researches and studies have shown that staying connected with family and friends play an essential role in enhancing the quality of life in adults. As seniors age, they often tend to lose mobility and experience a hard time keeping up with their social life. They become isolated with others, which further deteriorates their mental health.
A simple device like a tablet for seniors can help older adults stay connected with their family and society. But besides being an easy means for communication, bedside technologies like Birdsong tablet are preloaded with multimedia content and games.
Seniors can keep themselves occupied with exciting games, puzzles, and video content and fight loneliness and depression without medication.
3. Easier to Operate
As people age, they start experiencing loss in bones and muscle strength. Many aging adults develop dexterity issues. For such an individual, operating a laptop or computer with a mouse can be a challenging task. Since using a mouse requires muscle control, older people with shaking issues are unable to use a mouse to operate a computer. Tablet for seniors with a touch screen is an innovative way to do away with the need to use a mouse.
Instead of clicking or moving a physical mouse, the user can click on the screen to open an app or navigate through the device.
Touch screen technology has made tablets more user-friendly. People that have no or little experience operating technology can operate a tablet with relative ease.
4. Easier to read
Tablets are relatively bigger in size than mobile phones. They feature big screens and clear screen resolution. Senior citizens who have developed sight-issues due to aging can benefit from such tablets. The ease and ability to enlarge the font size and icons are some key features that make smart bedside technologies like tablets ideal for aging seniors.
A study to test the efficacy of visual aid devices found tablets effective than traditional methods.
Since tablets are easy to learn to operate, the adaptability factor makes them a preferred choice of the smart device even for those with no or limited exposure to technology.
Another crucial benefit of using a smart tablet for seniors worth mentioning is its ability to bridge the gap between seniors and technology. There is a substantial digital divide when it comes to the older generation. And as we move towards the new decade, this divide will keep on increasing. But thanks to tablets, they are helping aging seniors cross over. A study has indicated that smart tablets are making it easier for seniors to break the technological barriers that once kept them away from their social life.
