With the advent of technology, many older adults are conversant with smartphones. You can see many “seenagers” using smartphones with ease. The reason these phones are called smartphones is because they are equipped to do many other things than just calling and texting.
If you like traveling, you are likely to know the importance of a map. Even within your own city or town, older adults tend to feel lost because of such rapid development all around them.
Benefits of using maps in smartphones
Unlike regular paper maps, maps on smartphones are updated in real-time.
This means that:
- You can see the traffic on your route (indicated by the colors blue, yellow, orange and red for free-flowing traffic, medium traffic, slow-moving traffic, and congestion respectively.)
- These maps show you the shortest routes to your destination and alternative routes with the time difference.
- In case you are not sure where you exactly are, you can locate your exact position on the map.
There are apps in smartphones that you can use to find the correct route to your destination. The most common ones used are Google Maps, Apple Maps, MapQuest, Citymapper, and Waze. In this video, we will see how to use Google Maps.
How to Use Google Maps:
- Install the app from Playstore (the download link is given in the description of the video)
- Open the app
- Turn on GPS using the white button on the lower right side of your screen
- You can tap the button to know where you are exactly
- Enter your current location and the destination in the search bars provided above
- You can also search for your nearby places like petrol pumps, restaurants, chemists, etc. There are various options you can select from. You can also simply type “chemists near me” to get a list of chemists near your location
- Press GO. The map will show you the route to your destination
- You can select your mode of transport from the list above – Car, Bike, Public Transport, By Walk, or By Cab
- The lower bar shows you the distance and the time for travel depending on the traffic
- Press START
- If you miss a turning, Google Maps automatically reroutes your trip
- You can select audio guidance by pressing the audio button on the right of your screen. Select “unmute”
Tips for Older Adults
These quick and easy tips ensure that your trip is smooth.
- Share your trip: You can share your trip’s progress with your friend using the “Share your trip” option. You can also let them know if the cab you have booked is delayed.
- Save a location: Saving a location allows you to quickly select the places you commonly visit. You can save your home address, office address, friend’s/relative’s homes, doctor’s address, etc. This saves you the trouble of entering your addresses every time.
