By Cele Garrett

Enhancements on our smartphones, tablets or computers continue to explode – and there are more solutions coming on the market all the time. Technology that helps older adults to age in place safely holds great promise.

Technology continues to become more affordable and more streamlined, so what keeps us from diving in deeper? I turned to Chris Miller, a tech volunteer from At Home in Alexandria – a nonprofit aimed at helping people 55 years old and older age successfully – to get his thoughts.

Miller runs a monthly Tech Thursday gathering for our AHA members. Each month, participants tackle a different topic that he has identified: evaluating television streaming services, sharing digital photo albums, choosing a password manager and more. This month’s topic is on using three popular digital payment apps: PayPal, Venmo and Zelle.

He said the first major challenge is a language barrier in older adults, or an unfamiliarity with technical instructions that assume a baseline of experience and knowledge that aren’t always there.

“So when someone is instructed to ‘install the mobile app’ or ‘upload a photo of your driver’s license’ or ‘scan the QR code,’ they may get stymied,” he said.

Miller said the second major challenge is trust in technology.

“People don’t always know how to differentiate between the honest messages and the ‘scammy’ ones,” he said.

But, don’t lose sight of the big picture: Technology can make real improvements to our daily lives and ultimately give us more independence than ever. Installing a home security system that can be monitored through an app has helped countless people who live alone to feel safer. Fitness and health management apps that can monitor blood pressure or blood sugar have evolved from earlier days. Nutrition trackers can help us gauge such things as our protein, calories and fat intake each day.

CheckinBee will text you each day and alert a friend or family member if you have not responded within an hour. Similarly, Snug Safety will send a message to your designated contact if you haven’t hit your “check in” button within a period of time each day. Many older adults who live alone find this system to give them extra peace of mind.

Alert buttons that detect when a person falls have been around for some time but technology that helps with fall prevention takes this to another level: Apple’s Health app includes a composite metric called Walking Steadiness, built on the idea that walking is a key indicator of a person’s fall risk and their longer-term health. If a person can track this information over time and notice any degradation, they can share the data with their doctor.

Technology that addresses mental health has made great advances as well. However, it may take a few trials before finding just the right antidote to a person’s particular issue. Happify is a mental health app that uses cognitive behavioral therapy skills and activities to help improve mood and confidence. Breathe2Relax is an app to learn guided diaphragmatic breathing in order to relax when a person is stressed. Similarly, Calm can help with feelings of anxiety or stress through soundscapes, sleep stories or guided meditations. TalkSpace has licensed counselors who can provide phone or online therapy to a person who cannot easily leave their home.

Predictable is a text-to-speech app designed for people who are no longer able to speak due to a medical condition. The more you use this service, the more it’s able to predict what you’re trying to say – and it can greatly enhance a person’s ability to communicate. In fact, assistive technology that manages medications or helps to work around vision, hearing or dexterity problems can greatly enhance a person’s life.

I love to see a group of folks sitting around a table, showing one another a new app they’ve tried or a technical hack that works for them. Consider getting together with friends for your own version of a technology “idea swap!”

The writer is the executive director for At Home in Alexandria, a member-driven, nonprofit village that builds and sustains a 55+ community to successfully navigate aging.