As the summer winds down into the upcoming Labor Day weekend, you may be asking yourself if you did everything you wanted to this summer. Did you spend time outside, enjoying some fresh air before winter rolls around again? The good news is that even if you answered, “no” to that last question, you still have time to get out and go for a hike using the Hiking Project app.
Don’t let the word, “hike” intimidate you. Some hikes could be considered more of a nice walk, depending on the elevation, ascent and descent throughout. For the flat hikes, a mobile senior caregiver could even join you for a short stroll to connect with nature a little bit.
The Hiking Project app uses an actual map of your state to show areas where good hikes are available. Users can zoom in and out of different vicinities and see proposed hikes highlighted in green as they browse around.
Once a caregiver picks an area they’d like to potentially go on a hike, they can click on the highlighted trail for more information. The details listed include: ascent, descent, high and low elevation, overall length and a photo. It also includes ratings from users, if available. A chart even shows the elevation compared to the length of the trail to give caregivers a visual representation of how challenging the walk would be.
As users scroll down, they will find a detailed overview that lists hours, need to know information such as parking availability, further description of the trail including entrances, etc. Caregivers can check in at the trail within the app to keep track of which hikes they’ve already done, or add it to their To-do list to remind themselves to go there on a later date.
Lists are also available to show the best hikes in your state, to help you choose if you have a few in mind. Going for a hike helps relieve caregiver stress. Consider an easy walk with a senior client to help get them moving enough to stay active and potentially prevent the onset of dementia. Then, put together a separate list of longer or more challenging walks that you’d like to go on yourself to relieve some stress.
The Hiking Project app is available for Apple and Android platforms.
Senior caregivers, let us know your feedback on this app and keep us posted if you discovers additional apps that assist with caregiving duties and help relieve caregiver stress. You may also refer-a-friend to a senior caregiving job and win prizes weekly and monthly on Caregiverlist.
