Reading books can take us to a different fantasy world with dragons and wizards, to a different time period such as Medieval Times or simply into the lives of people like ourselves living now. Books also provide a nice stress reliever for caregivers who need to spend some time unwinding at the end of a long day. The Goodreads app allows senior caregivers to track books they are currently reading, make lists of books they’d like to read and get recommendations for book titles they would likely enjoy.
The initial profile creation will ask basic questions and for users to rate 20 books that they read previously. Rating books helps the app make quality recommendations based on what a user has liked in the past. Users can scan through provided categories such as Biography, Music, Fantasy, etc. to find titles that they would like to rate.
The app also features a barcode scan for books using the smartphone camera. Scanning a barcode allows users to then rate the title if read previously, indicate the book as currently reading, or add to the user’s individual shelves. The shelves indicate books users would like to read.
In addition to simply making lists, caregivers can set reading challenges for themselves or for senior clients. Reading serves as a great way for seniors to keep their brain active and help prevent onset of dementia, even if they only read a few chapters of a book each day. Caregivers can help their senior clients set a reading goal for the year, whether it be several books a month or only one book every two months.
If users would like further reading recommendations beyond the personalized ones in the app, the Best Books of 2014 list is available at the top of the homepage of the app. Users voted on their favorite books in 20 categories and the results are displayed for easy browsing. Any time a user is considering reading a book, they can read not only the publisher’s synopsis, but also user reviews about why they did or did not enjoy a particular title.
The Goodreads app is available for Apple and Android platforms.
Senior caregivers, let us know your feedback on this app and keep us posted if you discover 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.
