The Best Caregiving Apps of 2024: 6 Apps to Help You Through Common Caregiving Challenges

In 2024, as many as 81.6% of the U.S. population owns a smartphone, and the bulk of U.S. adults’ smartphone usage is spent on mobile apps – including some that can help with your caregiving duties. The demands of caring for a loved one can be exhausting and overwhelming, so family caregivers need all the help they can get. Fortunately, help is available at your fingertips with caregiving apps.

Caregiver apps can help caregivers stay organized, make their daily tasks more manageable, and relieve some of the burdens of family caregiving. The best caregiver apps can help caregivers with various tasks such as medication reminders, activity logging, managing appointments, coordinating a team of caregivers, and more. However, there are dozens of caregiver apps for iPhone and Android devices, so finding the best ones can take time and effort.

We have compiled a list of the best caregiver mobile apps to help you manage the care of your loved one. You can find disease-specific apps for Alzheimer’s, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, etc. It is recommended to try a few apps, as one app may not offer everything you need. Most of these apps are either free or reasonably priced and will make your caregiving life much easier.

This is a wonderful addition to caregiver apps and unique in that it creates a place for more than managing a loved one’s care — you can uplift, stay in the loop and help each other through a difficult time.

What’s Great About CaringBridge:

CaringBridge is an application that specializes in keeping loved ones connected. The app’s designers have created a product that not only shares information but also acts as a safe space for good thoughts, encouragement, photos, medical and caregiving updates.

As the information shared through the app is sensitive, users may worry about its security. However, CaringBridge has taken measures to ensure the safety of users’ information, making it a stress-free platform to communicate about their loved one’s needs. These features make CaringBridge a comprehensive and thoughtful tool for its users.

• iPhone/iPad (free)
• Android (free)

The app has a section called “Helping Hands” that acts as a message board and a well-wishes wall. Caregivers, family, and friends can leave messages of encouragement for the person receiving care or others in the circle of care. The app allows you to select a coordinator and a community member page where you can update contact information and birthdates and list the best times to call. These features make Lotsa Helping Hands an excellent resource for building a vibrant care community.

What’s Great About Lotsa Helping Hands:

Lotsa Helping Hands is a web platform that provides extensive support to caregivers and their loved ones. The website offers practical guidance, personal accounts from other caregivers, a newsletter, and other features that complement the application. Using the Care Calendar, family members and friends can schedule and sign up for tasks such as meal delivery and transport services. Additionally, caregivers can leverage the Lotsa Helping Hands app to create announcements, allowing loved ones to receive messages of encouragement and support from family and friends.

• iPhone/iPad (free)
• Android (free)

The Caring Village app is designed specifically for family caregivers to help them easily coordinate and keep track of their loved one’s care. It’s also a safe app for storing important documents and other sensitive information about the care recipient.

Caring Village CEO and Co-founder Mike Behrman says he was inspired to launch the app after he and his wife became caregivers for his mother-in-law, who has dementia. “We realized that the most important thing we needed to do was communicate effectively with other family members, her care professionals and neighbors,” he said in a news release.

The app is designed to assist family caregivers in managing the care of their loved ones through a secure messaging system. It allows users to create “villages” among friends and relatives to coordinate the specifics of their loved one’s care. Caring Village users can develop customized care plans and personalized to-do lists. The app provides centralized calendar management, document storage, a medication list, and a wellness journal to share with the rest of the family’s “village.”

What’s Great About Caring Village:

Reviewers say the app is easy to use and gives them peace of mind about staying on top of their loved one’s care plan. Caring Village helps caregivers and family members stay informed by allowing users to electronically store important documents that are only accessible to the group’s inner circle. As AARP’s Anne Marie Kilgallon was quoted as saying in a Tech Crunch article earlier this year, “[Caring Village is] all about the connection between family, caregivers and care recipients.”

• iPhone/iPad (free)
• Android (free)

Caring for an elderly individual can be challenging as accidents and injuries can happen anytime despite being cautious. Reduced mobility and balance can also contribute to the likelihood of such occurrences. When such accidents happen, acting fast and not relying on intuition alone is crucial. The First Aid: The American Red Cross app is indispensable in such situations as it can help you address the issue quickly and effectively.

This app offers its users professional advice, helpful videos and animations for first-aid learning, step-by-step instructions during emergencies, and an integrated 9-1-1 call button. Plus, it comes preloaded with a wealth of information about first aid and CPR, making it a must-have app for caregivers.

What’s Great About First Aid: American Red Cross:

First Aid: American Red Cross is content-rich, and all that critical information is available offline. If you are in the woods without a signal or have your phone on airplane mode during your flight, the information and tools you need will still be accessible. This can be life-saving in an emergency where there’s no one nearby to help.

• iPhone/iPad (free)
• Android (free)

eCare is ideal for caregivers as they manage their loved ones’ schedules and meet their health needs. However, you may need several apps or websites to tackle more complex caregiving challenges such as pain management, medication interaction, financial matters, and end-of-life issues. While the app is free, you can upgrade your subscription to access benefits like unlimited care plans and the ability to share care plans with a caregiver.

What’s Great About eCare21:

eCare21’s latest technology allows you to monitor your loved one’s care needs without being intrusive. It’s ideal for a working or long-distance caregiver and by providing vital health data, which means better and quicker response. Forbes offered a favorable review of eCare21 stating, “The patients’ doctors, loved ones and caregivers can keep an eye on them and provide proactive care, even from hundreds of miles away.”

• iPhone/iPad (free)
• Android (free)

Any caregiver knows the frustrations and concerns involved in medication management. For administering medications, caregivers must remember things like dosage timing and record-keeping, whether or not to take it with food, potential side effects, and tracking benefits or drawbacks. Through offering reminders and practical information, Medisafe Meds & Pill Reminder helps alleviate some of these concerns by connecting caregivers, seniors, and the medical community to provide cohesive care.

While some users noted frustrations with loading several medications at various time intervals, it should also be noted that MediSafe receives high marks for customer support, and the app’s support team addresses each online review concern.

What’s Great About Medisafe:

Medisafe is designed for users of any age and caregivers responsible for medication monitoring. Medisafe is unique in that it’s a medication reminder and educates people about their condition and the medicines they’re taking at the same time. The app can help caregivers with reminders, progression tracking, and even finding coupons and other incentives. It also benefits physicians who want to connect with their patients through the Medisafe app. Medisafe has been featured on CNBC and in Reader’s Digest.

• iPhone/iPad (free)
• Android (free)

Amidst the demands of caring for loved ones, caregivers are at a greater risk of stress and burnout, as well as negative impacts on their physical and mental health. The Ianacare (iana means “I am not alone”) app was designed to equip and empower caregivers with the needed resources and support. The app provides the ability to organize caregiver teams and request or receive help from family and friends. For instance, you can ask for assistance transporting your loved one to an appointment, and someone from your social circle can accept your request via the Ianacare app.

The Ianacare smartphone app is designed to assist individuals on their caregiver journey. It emphasizes the importance of maintaining physical and mental well-being by providing expert content and connection to various caregiving support groups and communities. These resources help individuals become better care providers over time.

What’s Great About Ianacare:

Ianacare is one of the few platforms that focuses on helping caregivers cope while caring for a loved one. For example, caregivers can use the app to find curated programs and services available in their local area. Plus, the app gives you ways to contact organizations directly. In addition, Ianacare offers Caregiver Navigators, where you can receive 1-1 support from trained caregiver coaches.

• iPhone/iPad (free)
• Android (free)