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Video Call Apps to Help You Stay Social from a Distance

 In Brain Health, Health, Stress Management

“Socializing with friends is an aspect of Spiritual Fitness and may contribute to the fight against Alzheimer’s Disease.”Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation

Donate to help Research and Prevent Alzheimer's DiseaseAccording to AlzheimersPrevention.org, one aspect of Spiritual Fitness for your mind and body is “to socialize or be with like-minded people.” However, most places are requiring people to stay at home and self-isolate due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. If socializing is important for your brain and mental fitness, how will you and your loved ones maintain a healthy level of socialization? This question is especially important if you’re trying to reach out to someone that has Alzheimer’s or is trying to prevent Alzheimer’s or dementia.

This blog will explore a few free apps that you can use to stay in touch with loved ones during self-isolation or even when you just live far away from each other.

1. Try the Free Video Call option that comes with your Smart Phone.

Most new cell phones have an option to call someone by video already built in. However, you will usually need to have the same brand of phone or same phone service as the person you’re trying to video chat with. For example, Samsung AT&T phones allow free video calls to other Samsung AT&T phones and Apple iPhones allow free Facetime calls to other Apple iPhone users.

If this is not an option for you, there are other free ways to make video calls.

2. Your favorite social media app usually has a video call option.

The best example of this is Facebook. Now that so many Americans are on Facebook, this may be your best bet. If you or your loved one is on Facebook, download the free Facebook Messenger App and press the Video Icon to make a Video Call.

Another example of this is Gmail. If you and your loved one both have a Gmail account, use your Gmail login information to sign in to Google Hangouts and start Video Chatting by pressing the Video Icon.

3. Try downloading and registering an account with some popular messaging apps.

Three of the most popular, free messaging apps all include an option for video. These apps are: Zoom, Skype, and WhatsApp.

Unlike the other apps, you will need to register for them. If the person you are trying to reach isn’t tech savvy, give them a phone call and walk them through it to ensure you’ve got the ability to see each other face to face.

In conclusion, be proactive and make an effort to reach out to your loved ones by video.

Being able to see a loved one’s face is good for your brain and mental health, especially during times of stress. Now more than ever, you should reach out to your loved ones in any way you can.

If your loved one is older and not tech savvy, be patient with them and insist on setting up the call. You can also ask a nurse or caregiver to assist you with this, if necessary.

And remember, after all of this is over – stay in touch! No matter what is going on in the world, socializing with loved ones is good for you and one of the key aspects of Spiritual Fitness to prevent Alzheimer’s.

Do you want to learn more about brain health and Alzheimer’s?


Visit AlzheimersPrevention.org, subscribe to our Newsletter, and read our blog. You can also follow Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

To support our critically important work to help research the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, please visit our donation page.

Donate to help Research and Prevent Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation is a leading global Alzheimer’s disease (AD) prevention organization, funding some of the most significant integrative medicine research on Alzheimer’s prevention, while providing educational outreach to laypeople, healthcare providers and caregivers on the 4 Pillars of Alzheimer’s Prevention®.  Our research has been published in the prestigious Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, as well as other significant medical journals, such as The International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, Psychiatry Research, Nuclear Medicine Communications and Consciousness and Cognition.

ARPF is a charitable organization registered in AZ, CA, CT, FL, IL, MD, MA, MO, MI, NJ, NM, NY, OH, NC, PA, RI, TX, VA, WA, WI. In FL, ARPF’s registration number is CH-31726 under s.496.411(3), F.S.

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