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BrainLine
Revolutionary apps for simplifying everyday life with brain injury
Almost everyday, we hear of new smartphone applications (“apps”) developed for just about everything — from staying organized to finding pharmacies or restaurants while on the road. It’s hard to keep up.
The BrainLine team sifted through many resources to collect this list of iPhone, iTouch, and iPad apps that could be useful to people with a brain injury — and their families and caregivers. We will cover other smartphone platforms in the next installment of this series.
Download a chart of all 24 Apps.
But let’s backtrack for a moment. What makes a smartphone different from a regular mobile phone? And what exactly is an “app”?
What makes a smartphone different from a regular mobile phone?
A smartphone is a mobile phone that offers more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary feature phone that just allows you to make outgoing calls and receive incoming calls. As smartphones — like the Apple iPhone and the Android — become more advanced, companies are developing all sorts of games and tools, known as “apps” or applications that you can use on that phone.
Some of these apps have proven to be especially helpful for people with brain injury. The phone can be used to remind you of an upcoming appointment or to take medication, or it can be used like a traditional paper notebook to keep all your addresses, telephone numbers, calendar items, lists, and ideas. Please note that BrainLine does not endorse these or any specific products.
Breathe2Relax
Price: Free
Breathe2Relax is a portable stress management tool. The app is a hands-on diaphragmatic breathing exercise. Breathing exercises have been documented to decrease the body's “fight-or-flight” (stress) response, and help with mood stabilization, anger control, and anxiety management. Particularly useful for service members or veterans with PTSD and/or TBI, Breathe2Relax can be used as a stand-alone stress reduction tool, or in tandem with clinical care directed by a healthcare worker.
ClearRecord Premium
Price: Free
ClearRecord Premium is an audio recording app that is able to suppress ambient, background noise. It features the ability to control play-speed without modifying pitch-quality. The Ambient Noise Reduction (ANR) feature, allows the user to record conversations in any noisy environment — street, train, classroom, or airplane — while still maintaining clear voice. Slow play-speed allows transcription users and new language learners to slow down and listen clearly to a fast speaker while fast play-speed cuts short the time required to listen to a long recording without missing any parts.
Corkulus
Price: $4.99
The Corkulous™ idea board gives you an inspired way to collect, organize, and share your ideas. It’s a multi-purpose app containing cork boards where you can place notes, labels, photos, contacts, and tasks. Group your ideas visually on one board or spread ideas out across multiple boards (sub-boards also supported). Each cork board has plenty of real estate to capture your best ideas and plans. (iPad Only)
d2u Dictation and Transcription
Price: Free
The d2u Dictation and Transcription app combines a voice recorder with a transcription service to provide users with a comprehensive dictation and transcription solution. Record, edit, and upload a digital recording then have the file accurately and efficiently transcribed to text anywhere, at anytime. All you need is an Internet connection. It’s easy to use, yet safe and secure. The app is fully data protected and HIPAA compliant.
* To use the transcription features of this app, you need a d2u account. You can register for an account inside the app
Dragon Dictation
Price: Free
Dragon Dictation is an easy-to-use voice recognition app that allows users to easily speak and instantly see their words on the screen. Dragon Dictation for the iPhone or iPad lets you send short text messages, longer email messages, and even update your Facebook and Twitter statuses without typing a word. A great app for people with limited mobility in their hands.
Find a Pharmacy
Price: $1.99
Need to pick up an urgent prescription? Or even just a regular one when traveling for work or pleasure? How about those times when you just want to grab headache pills and a new toothbrush ASAP but aren't in your regular neighborhood? No matter your location, the Find a Pharmacy app helps you immediately find the closest pharmacy.
Flashcards Deluxe
Price: $3.99
Flashcards Deluxe is a flashcard app which you can use to study just about anything you want. Among other features, the app includes Quizlet.com integration where you can browse and download any of the more than four-million flashcard sets; use the built-in searchable “dictionary” of your cards that allows you to easily look up other terms as you study; and a way to include pictures and sounds, zoom into pictures, and auto-repeat sounds.
iBooks with VoiceOver
Price: Free
iBooks is Apple’s ebook reader. It allows users to search thousands of popular book and magazine titles and download them instantly. iBooks works with VoiceOver, which will read the contents of the pages out loud. The screen of the iPad, iPhone, and iTouch is so sensitive to touch that just the slightest movement of a finger will allow many book enthusiasts with disabilities to turn the pages of their own book for the first time.
ICE (In Case of Emergency)
Price: $0.99
ICE (In Case of Emergency) is for anyone who cares for disabled people, children, or elders. It’s also useful for individuals and families. My Emergency Info helps you gather important information that is necessary in an emergency situation. The name of your doctor, medications you are taking, medical conditions, allergies, and insurance information can be accessed with the tap of a finger. You can also use the app to find hospitals nearby in case of an emergency.
View in the iTunes App Store >
iConverse
Price: $9.99
iConverse is an educational tool designed for young children and individuals with communicative disabilities, and also toddler-aged children who have yet to master language. iConverse is an Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) application for the iPhone and iPod Touch that replaces bulky and expensive communication devices used in the past for digital speech.
Index Card
Price: $4.99
Index Card is non-linear writing tool that helps you capture your ideas and store notes as they come to you. With the app, you can organize the flow of your project by using a familiar corkboard interface and compile your work into a single draft document that can be read by most word processors. Index Card will assist in writing, structuring, and managing a large project by allowing you to work in small, manageable chunks. (iPad Only)
ITPADD
Price: $7.99
Integrated Technology for Persons with Autism or Developmental Disabilities (ITPADD) is an iTouch/iPhone application developed to provide individualized portable curriculum for multiple students, reduce cost of traditional materials, increase instructional time, and provide teachers with resources in the palm of their hand.
LocateMeNow
Price: $0.99
LocateMeNow finds your current location and address with a push of a button. This app finds the total address of your current location like street number, street name, city, state, and zipcode.
Lumosity Brain Trainer
Price: Free
Lumos Lab’s Brain Trainer provides exercises targeting memory, attention, speed, flexibility, and problem solving. Users can design their own personalized training, including “courses” with TBI- and/or PTSD-specific content. Users have some control over what exercise they select on given day, and the content adapts to the appropriate challenge level. Lumosity is available on the web and as an iPhone application.
View in the iTunes App Store >
Penultimate
Price: $1.99
Penultimate is a handwriting app helps you get the fast, tactile gratification of writing on paper, with digital power and flexibility. Take notes, keep sketches, or share your next breakthrough idea — in the office, on the go, or at home. (iPad only)
Pic-Z Tag
Price: $0.99
Pic-Z Tag is a fun and convenient nametag application that lets you identify yourself to others at a conference, business meeting, or any social gathering. Just enter your name and a brief description and you are ready to greet the world while showing off your high-tech spin on the old nametag. When you meet someone new, you can just flash your iPhone to introduce yourself. It’s especially useful for people who have trouble speaking.
Pill Time
Price: $0.99
The Pill Time application will keep track of your medicines and remind you when you need to take them. After you set up your schedule, Pill Time will alert you on time even if the app is not running. You can enter as many medicines as you want and define multiple usage time and dosage per day per medicine.
View in the iTunes App Store >
Proloquo2Go
Price: $189.00
The Proloquo2Go app provides a full-featured augmentative and alternative communication solution for people who have difficulty speaking. It provides natural sounding text-to-speech voices (initially American and British English only), high-resolution, up-to-date symbols, powerful automatic conjugations, a default vocabulary of more than 7,000 items, advanced word prediction, full expandability, and extreme ease of use.
PTSD Coach
Price: Free
PTSD Coach was designed for veterans and service members who have, or may have, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The app provides users with education about PTSD, information about professional care, a self-assessment for PTSD, opportunities to find support, and tools that can help users manage the stresses of daily life with PTSD. Tools range from relaxation skills and positive self-talk to anger management and other common self-help strategies. Users can customize tools based on their preferences and can integrate their own contacts, photos, and music. This app can be used by people who are in treatment as well as those who are not. PTSD Coach was created by VA’s NationalCenter for PTSD and DoD’s National Center for Telehealth & Technology.
View in the iTunes App Store >
PTSD Support for Veterans
Price: Free
The Hope for One app focuses on providing support to military veterans and their families who are struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. The app includes informational videos and testimonials, podcasts from professional counselors and psychiatrists discussing PTSD, links for resources, and a fan wall for people to support each other and share their experiences. People with PTSD — and their loved ones — do not need to go it alone.
RFB&D Audio
Price: $19.99
The RFB&D Audio app allows for easy access to Learning Ally’s (formerly RFB&D) downloadable DAISY formatted books. Learning Ally members can explore the library of more than 64,000 audiobooks that are designed for people with print and learning disabilities.
* To use RFB&D Audio, membership is required. Membership is free for eligible people with visual impairments or dyslexia.
SoundAMP
Price: $4.99
SoundAMP is an assistive software application that turns the iPhone into an interactive hearing device. Using the microphone or a headset with a microphone, it amplifies nearby sound so it is easier to hear.
T2 Mood Tracker
Price: Free
With T2 Mood Tracker, users can self-monitor, track, and reference their emotional experiences associated with common deployment-related behavioral health issues like post-traumatic stress, brain injury, depression, and anxiety. With each self-rating, notes on environmental influences on emotional experiences can be added. Self-monitoring results can be a self-help tool or they can be shared with a therapist or healthcare professional, providing a record of the patient’s emotional experience over a selected time frame.
Tactical Breather
Price: Free
The Tactical Breather app can be used to gain control over physiological and psychological responses to stress. Through repetitive practice and training, people can learn to gain control of their heart rate, emotions, concentration, and other physiological and psychological responses during stressful situations. Although these techniques were developed primarily for soldiers in combat, anyone can benefit from the ideas taught in this application to help with stressful situations in life. The app may be especially useful for service members and veterans with PTSD and/or TBI.
Today Screen
Price: $2.99
Today Screen is a one-stop app for quickly viewing your upcoming agenda, tasks due, and local weather forecast. Tasks and events are intuitively highlighted based on date and time, so that what you need to look at right now stands out clearly. There’s no setup required. Today Screen syncs automatically with your iPhone calendar, which means that events from Microsoft Exchange, Google Calendar, MobileMe, and other accounts are instantly viewable. Local weather forecasts are also automatically provided based on your location.
View in the iTunes App Store >
Voice Cards Are Not Flashcards
Price: Free
Voice Cards Are Not Flashcards allows you to create voice flashcards with an autoplay and shake option. You can start out by creating sets of flashcared just as you would with paper notecards or flashcards, except you create a voice recording of your questions and answers in sets of Voice Cards. You can “flip” between questions and answers by swiping or shaking the phone.
Wallet Advanced
Price: $2.99
Wallet Advanced is an excellent application for managing website logins, passwords, PIN numbers, credit cards, memberships, family info, product data information, and more. Featuring easy-to-use software, customizable settings, special encryption technology, and synchronization capabilities, Wallet Advanced provides an intuitive solution to overcome your ever-expanding personal data needs. (iPadOnly)
WordWarp
Price: Free
WordWarp is a game with which you can create as many words as possible from a selection of letters. If you’re stuck, just press the “warp” button and it will help you out. The game could be a useful and fun exercise for people with a brain injury.
Share with us
Technology is changing hourly, it seems. New iterations of smartphones are constantly being released and new apps are being developed for just about any need or folly. Please share with us what apps have worked for you — or not — at info@BrainLine.org.
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See our other apps slideshow for Android devices: 20 Life-Changing Android Apps for People with Brain Injury.
Download a chart of all 27 apps.
Created by BrainLine.
Comments [8]
Picture Planner 3.0 is a very useful and affordable app. You create personalized visual calendars - as detailed as you need- on your desktop then sync it to your mobile device, ie iPad, iPod, etc. The handheld becomes the reminder and prompter as you go about your day. It's specifically designed for individuals with cognitive disabilities such as TBI, Autism, and more.
What a terrific list! I'd like to add one more since we were featured in Action Magazine, Closing The Gap, National Center For Technology Innovators, and soon, the Washington Post. Universally designed Picture Planner by Cognitopia Software works well for individuals with TBI. Don't hesitate to contact them and ask for more information.
What are the cheeper but functional brans? I've got TBI but here at the dom the soldiers from the middle east have preference for the cog skills. I've got a 1G samsung T101g with a two gig memory chip. will that work? juanhanded@gmail.com
Here's a dumb question: What do people *do* with their old iPhones? These apps could all run on older models of the iPhone - like the iPhone 3 - that are probably just sitting in people's desks all over the place. MyVoice is another incredibly useful app. It allows individuals with communication difficulties to access words and phrases related to contexts. So, for example, if the phone detects that you are in a hardware store, when you launch the app you will get words like "nails", "hammer", "paint", etc. first. Here is a short article on the app: http://is.gd/ZWW6TA
Can these apps be used on iPod Touch? I just have a cheap phone and don't really want to pay for a new phone, data plan, etc.
This is true! iPhones aren't the only brand of phone out there, cost is definitely a factor. We're working on a second article covering droid and blackberry.
All the iphone focus! Don\'t forget there are people with disabilities here (and the types of incomes that correspond with them) and there are cheaper & just as functional alternative brands out there!
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Another two great programs: 1) Remember the milk (probably the best reminder to do list on the net) 2)Evernote (allows one to mark down thoughts and take "clippings" from websites so as not to clutter your mind/desk/computer with half finished projects)
Dec 10th, 2011 6:49am