When my mother’s declining health necessitated around-the-clock care, my three sisters and I accepted the privilege. I use the term “privilege” because it was an opportunity for us to give back just a little for all she had meant to us through the years. It also provided precious time for us to spend with her when we knew such times were limited.
One of the challenges during that time was managing our individual schedules so someone could be with my mother at all times. It was also challenging to know what she had eaten and what medications she had taken, as well as sharing anything of significance when we were with her.
While thinking about and researching ways to manage the process, I discovered an app entitled Cozi, which is a family organizer app. Cozi became a lifesaver for sharing pertinent information with each other about the caregiving process.
Cozi allowed each of the four of us to view a calendar and enter the times that each of us could stay with our mother. When there were gaps in time where no one signed up, we collaborated to determine who might be able to step in and be there.
We keyed in her medications and when they needed to be administered and left notes for each other to keep up to date.
We also entered data about the meals she ate and at what times. Cozi had a journaling tab where we were able to share stories of our times with our mother that contributed to our own personal memories.
Although our experience with Cozi centered around helping us manage a difficult period in our lives, the app is a great way for families to “be on the same page” in managing everyday family life.
With a 4.8 star rating out of almost 200,000 reviews, Cozi obviously works for many other families. The app is available for both IOS and Android devices.
A few of the most important features of Cozi include:
- Family Calendar
- Keep track of schedules of family members in one place with a simple color-coded calendar
- Set reminders of important events or practices
- Send automated agendas via email to family members
- Subscribe to other calendars, such as work, personal or team schedules
- Shopping Lists and To-Do Lists
- Keep updated grocery lists
- See items any family member needs and adds to lists
- Create to-do lists or checklists for any family member
- Recipe Box
- Organizes recipes in one place for anytime accessibility
- Add ingredients to shopping list quickly
- Schedule meals on your calendar
- No-dim button allows you to cook from a recipe on your mobile device
- Additional features
- All features are accessible from any mobile device or computer
- Family journal option allows any family member to add notes or ideas
- The same information is stored in one place and accessible to all family members
- Entire family shares one account, which can be accessed with their own email and the shared family password
All above features are free. There is also a optional ad-free subscription called Cozi Gold. The premium subscription offers additional features like contacts, birthday tracker, mobile app themes and more reminders, views and notifications.
If keeping up with family members schedules and appointments is something that might make your life easier, check out the features of Cozi. The more complicated family activities are, the more such an app could benefit your family.
There are also many other family organizer apps available on Google Play and iTunes App Store. If you’re looking for different features, check out some of the options there.
Do you use a family organizer app? If so, tell us how you use it and why you like it.