Senior living & senior housing…there’s an app for that? There’s a few out there and according to a new study by the Pew Research Center, most cell phone users don’t know how many apps they have on their phones to begin with. The survey shows that taking pictures and sending text messages are the most popular ‘app’ for all cell phone users.
The results showed that 18% of all cell phone users with apps on their phones do not know how many they have and not surprisingly, that figure doubles to 36% among cell phone users age 50 and older. Even if seniors are downloading apps, what’s out there today specific to them?
Some of the ‘senior apps’ listed on the Apple Iphone App Store when searching using the ‘senior’ include:
- Find senior housing application from iHealth Ventures for $.99
- Dr. Marion’s Elder 411 & Elder 911 – Free
- Dating For Seniors – $3.99
- Teaching the Elderly to Use the Internet – $3.99
- Baby Boomers Handbook – $2.99
- Tai Chi For Seniors – $1.99
While the Iphone App may present information in a different format than trying to read web pages from the cell phone browser, much of the information in these apps can be found on the web for free.
“An apps culture is clearly emerging among some cell phone users, particularly men and young adults,” said Kristen Purcell, Associate Director for Research at the Pew Internet Project. “Still, it is clear that this is the early stage of adoption when many cell owners do not know what their phone can do. The apps market seems somewhat ahead of a majority of adult cell phone users.”
