By Anna Hazard
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Mindfulness is a catch-all term for a mental state of focus, calmness, and acceptance that is often used as therapeutic technique for stress relief, pain management, insomnia and a variety of other health concerns. Techniques used to cultivate mindfulness include meditation, breathing exercises, focused activities such as yoga, and short pauses to stop during your daily life to focus & center oneself.
Many people find it easier to begin & maintain mindfulness routines by using specifically tailored apps on their often ever present cell phones. These apps are an easy & portable way to remain connected with others in the mindfulness community, relax with guided mediations & calming music or ambient sounds, as well as act as reminders to pause & take a quick breather for oneself during the day. Here are a selection of cross-platform apps for both Android & iOS that specifically focus on mindfulness and meditation. They are fully free or free to try, many with further premium content that can be later unlocked through subscription services. Cross Platform Apps
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By Anna Hazard
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Here are a selection of cross platform apps available for both iOS and Android that have a particular focus on senior fitness. Apps include overall workout and healthy living for those age 50+, gentle exercises suitable for beginners and seniors alike, exercises specifically tweaked for those with limited mobility or balance issues, as well as a smattering of apps on particular styles of exercises that are well known for being beneficial to the elderly such as qigong and tai chi.
Prices range from the completely free, to one time in app purchases, to those that require the use of other equipment in conjunction with the app or otherwise require renewing subscriptions. Cross Platform Apps
By Anna Hazard
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Here are a selection of iOS exclusive apps suitable for cell phones & tablets that have a specific focus on senior appropriate fitness including gentle exercises for balance, strength, and flexibility. Choices also include apps for beginner level workouts that can be done from the comfort of a wheelchair or chair for those with limited mobility.
Specific senior centric apps that are exclusive to iOS tend to require upfront payments before they can downloaded or used and have less of an overall selection as compared to Android exclusive or cross platform apps. However, there is a wider range of free general fitness apps on iOS as well as cross platform apps for seniors that are also available on iOS. iOS Apps
By Anna Hazard
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Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder whereby a body's immune system targets its own body tissues, particularly joint linings. The skin, heart, lungs, eyes, blood vessels, and nerves may also be targeted. RA distinguishes itself from other types of arthritis by symmetrically affecting both joints on both sides of the body at the same time (ie both wrists, both knees, both elbows). Rheumatoid arthritis often first manifests in smaller joints such as fingers & toes and can eventually degenerate into bone & cartilage erosion and complete joint deformity.
Symptoms of RA vary in severity and can fall into remission or flare-up in increased bouts of disease activity. These symptoms can include swelling, warmth, & pain in the joints, fatigue, and stiffness after long periods of rest or inactivity. Risk factors for RA include gender (with females more likely to develop it), family history of RA, environmental influences such as smoking, asbestos, and silica, as well as age. While RA can occur at any age, most people affected are between the ages of 40 and 60. Currently nearly 1% of the American population (~1 million people) are affected by rheumatoid arthritis. Below are a selection of smartphone apps for both iOS & Android that are specifically tailored to help with the rheumatoid variety of arthritis. Many take the form of management & disease tracking tools that are also helpful for producing disease data for the user's healthcare providers, give general information, support, nutritional advice, physiotherapy & exercise routines, or act as overviews & guides to RA. While generally there are more rheumatoid arthritis focused apps available on the Android platform, there are still a good selection of cross-platform entries that will also work on iOS. Apps
By Anna Hazard
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Osteoarthritis is the most commonly found chronic condition afflicting the joints of the body where the cartilage between the joints breaks down. The chances of it developing increases with age with a greater proportion occurring in people over 60. However, it can also develop in those younger, particularly those who have other joint injuries or repetitive stress in the joint area. Symptoms include soreness in the joints (particularly pain after either extended bouts of movement or inactivity), stiffness that increases with rest (such as in the morning after a night's sleep), as well as bony enlargements or swelling in the joints.
Here are a selection of apps that focus specifically on the osteoarthritis version of arthritis including overall comprehensive guides, tips & advice regarding symptoms, treatments, and dietary prevention, as well as a selection of exercise & rehabilitation programs. Apps
By Anna Hazard
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Arthritis is an umbrella term for a conglomeration of diseases & conditions that afflict the joints of the body. Due to its nature of inflammation of the joint, the most common arthritis symptoms are pain, stiffness, swelling, and decreased range of motion in the joint. With over 100 different varieties of arthritis, it is the leading cause of disability in America. While often associated with aging due to the proliferation of osteoarthritis, the various forms of arthritis can occur at any age through all genders & races.
Due to it's widespread occurrence, many smartphone apps have cropped up that have arthritis as their chief focus. Here are a selection of apps for both iOS & Android that are meant to help deal with arthritis & joint inflammation in general instead of focusing on one particular type (such as osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, the two most common varieties). Since smartphones can be easily incorporated into exercise routines & are usually carried around wherever the user may go, these particular apps tend to focus on exercise routines to help mitigate pain or otherwise act as general founts of knowledge as overall guides or by providing easy access to other references (such as arthritis magazines or video selections). Apps
By Anna Hazard
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Introduction
Similar to the Android exclusive apps, these iOS based ones tend to be completely free or inexpensive to upgrade or purchase compared to the more well known cross-platform mind training apps such as Luminosity, Elevate, and Peak.
With some exceptions such as the Mensa based programs games, these games tend to focus more on being entertaining with the side effect of improving mental acuity & memory due to their puzzle-like natures rather than having scientifically backed research & studies behind their activities. iOS Apps
By Anna Hazard
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Introduction
In contrast to cross platform brain training apps, these Android exclusive games tend to be overall less expensive to upgrade yet contain more ads in their base forms. Games tend more towards the casual & entertaining with most lacking the scientific & neurological research behind the more expensive cross platform variations available.
The focus on these brain apps still remains on improving memory, problem solving skills, processing speed, increasing overall I.Q., and enhancing other cognitive skills by having players run through puzzles & other games for a few minutes each day. Android Apps
By Anna Hazard
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Introduction
These smartphone apps are based on the premise that being submersed in an enriched environment with lots of mental stimulation will produce positive brain changes, promote mental health, and improve cognitive & psychological functioning based on neuroplasticity (the brain's ability to remodel nerve cell connections through experience)
In particular these types of games focus on improving memory, problem solving skills, processing speed, increasing overall I.Q., or enhancing other cognitive skills particularly in older adults where some studies have indicated that they can be helpful in preventing age-related memory decline and reducing the risk of dementia by lessening the probability of developing brain plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease. The smartphone games listed below are amongst the most well received and highly rated across both the Apple iOS & Android platforms. They are mostly available in the form of free trials with further premium content (such as upgrades, access to further games & levels, or monthly subscriptions) available through in app purchases. Cross Platform Apps
By Anna Hazard
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Part 1 : Stress Relief Game Apps - Relaxing & Calm
Part 2 : Stress Relief Game Apps - Relaxing & Calm Continued Introduction
In contrast to the previous entries in our Stress Relief Game Apps series which focuses on games that had relaxing and meditative influences suitable for calming down one's mood, these particular games are energetically fast paced and often feature cartoony violence to better vent one's stress in one go.
Most games featured here continue to remain fully free or free with ads or the ability to buy upgrades or a premium version of the game. Many of these apps are also part of entire franchises based around a similar concept, so if a particular game style suits your fancy, there should be plenty of other options to continue exploring. Apps
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AboutNews updates, tips, and guides on senior care, senior health, stress relief and a host of other caregiving related topics from the professionals at Ella Stewart Care. |