5 Best Android Apps For Chronic Illnesses Help
When you need a little help, download an app.
Getty When you have a chronic illness, all you are looking for is some relief. Some help. Sometimes, people can’t offer you the kind of constant support that you need — especially if you suffer from an invisible illness that's hard for people to understand — so phone apps and games are great alternatives to in-person interaction and can help you organize your life in a way that makes dealing with your illness every day just a little bit easier.
Whether you need some assistance managing your prescriptions, help to track your moods or how you're feeling throughout the day — or maybe you just need some reminders to take your medication on time ... these clever android apps have you covered on all fronts.
To save you some time and money that you might otherwise have spent searching through the app store and spending your spare change on faulty apps, I’ve compiled a list of the five most important apps for people with chronic illnesses I've tried out myself. Review and explore the following apps yourself on your own time, but learn more about them below!
1. Medisafe — Pill Reminder & Medication Tracker
This app is ideal for people who experience some brain fog and forget to take their daily medications. Additionally, the app allows you to see the pills you are taking, read side effects, search common interactions and even view some informative videos about the medication from professionals. You can track your medications and medicines that you are considering adding to your regimen.
As an added bonus, Medisafe records all your medications and transposes them into an email or an excel spreadsheet for your convenience. This is especially useful during doctor’s appointments to keep your healthcare team updated on your medication history.
2. PainScale — Free Chronic Pain Tracker Diary
Whereas many other detailed pain tracker apps cost a monthly or one-time activation fee, PainScale is free to use and enables you to input tons of information about your pain, the location of your pain and the debilitating effects of your pain causes. Plus, PainScale offers insights about your pain, your diet, and your lifestyle as you enter in more details.
For instance, you may determine if your pain is associated with weather changes or humidity or if your pain is lessened when you perform certain therapy exercises. This content also includes complimentary health advice from the web, easy connection with Google Fit, messaging functions to contact your support network (i.e., doctors) and customizable features that prompt you to specify your unique health issues. All of this is incorporated in a simple, compact app!
3. Habitica — Gamify Your Tasks
This is a more entertaining app geared towards everyone — not just people with chronic illness. It’s meant to motivate you to reach your goals and track your habits as you go. The app holds you accountable for your actions and turns your daily life into an old arcade game! Level up your mundane life by taking your medicine, meditating and remembering to brush your teeth on a bad pain day.
Even if you’re not at home, the app can help you control your habits and become the best warrior, mage, rogue or healer out there.
4. Evernote — Notes Organizer & Daily Planner
Everything from to-do lists, meeting notes, itineraries and recipes can be saved with ease thanks to the Evernote app. And all of your notes are completely searchable with a quick click.
Once the app is installed on your android device, it will have immediate access to your photos and your other apps to enable you to clip information from websites and save pictures online. The best thing about this app is that it transfers all your data from one device to another, so your laptop and phone will have the same notes you keep on Evernote.
People with chronic illnesses can use Evernote to organize their lives and keep track of appointments. PT, check-ups and other appointments will never be forgotten again.
5. Wisdo — Personal Growth App
This app focuses on the mental health side of chronic illnesses. You can state what type of mental health issues you are suffering from and get connected to people dealing with the same issues. It’s like Facebook — if it only had encouraging and honest posts about mental health.
There are monitors who can help you find a buddy to talk with and the ability to post about nearly any problem you’re dealing with. Just be respectful, and the app will do wonders for your mental stability. It’s refreshing to see an app dedicated to human connection and mental health awareness like Wisdo is.
Meaghan Summers is a writer who covers pop-culture, self-care, and religion topics.