MyHomeReach

As more people worldwide reach senior status, there’s an increasing need to reduce isolation and improve safety for those who choose to age in place, especially those who live in rural and remote areas or far from family members.

MyHomeReach, a caregiving app and subscription service built by Irish tech company HealthComms, aims to make it easy for seniors living alone to stay in touch with family members and paid caregivers and to get regular wellbeing checks, medication reminders and scheduling tools via their mobile devices and computers. The MyHomeReach system includes Skype-based video chat features and QR-code technology to verify care visits, and it allows seniors to call for help with the touch of a button.

You can find these types of tools as separate videoconferencing, calendar, email, text, and QR scan apps on a typical smartphone or tablet. What makes MyHomeReach useful is that by combining these functions into one application, it eliminates the need for seniors to navigate between and learn to use different apps. That can keep clients and caregivers focused on care, rather than on sorting out technical issues.

MyHomeReach offers an Android mobile app and a desktop application for individual users along with a Control Tower tool for professional care providers.

Pros:

The MyHomeReach app’s user interface is designed for ease of use by seniors, with large type, generously sized touch-screen buttons, and front-and-center pop-up notifications for reminders. Family members can see and respond to messages quickly and can easily initiate a video chat or voice call. Professional caregivers can document their caregiving time, make notes on client needs, and communicate easily with clients and their families. There are detailed, downloadable user guides on the HealthComms site for the mobile, desktop. and Control Tower applications.

Cons:

No live chat for real-time tech help is offered on the main site or mentioned in the user guides, although an international phone number and an email address are listed on the site.  US support can be reached at 1-603-580-1088 or via email at info@chartacloud.com

Fine print:

You can find all Terms of Service on HealthComms.com.

Cost:

$30 per month or $240 per year. (Some credit cards and payment services may change an additional foreign-exchange fee; check with your bank or digital wallet service for details.)

Best for…

Seniors in rural areas who are comfortable using a tablet and who prefer to use a single interface rather than multiple apps and communication tools; family members and friends who are unable to visit frequently in person; care professionals who want to assist remote patients with medication management and wellbeing checks.