Unus Tactus is a new iOS app that is designed to simplify the lives of people with mild cognitive and/ or motor deficits. The app creates an easy to use phone interface and adds quite many important features that can be easily used for making calls and in case of an emergency.

Unus Tactus creates an interface that shows all contacts in the phone in a 4×4 grid. Each grid has a contact’s name and a big thumbnail of them. Calling them simply requires a tap on the thumbnail.

Another useful feature is the big help button on the app, which is available all the time. Whenever  the help button is pressed, two things happen: a phone call is made to an emergency contact, and at the same time a link is emailed to the emergency contact showing the person’s exact location on Google Maps. 

The app also has a very interesting feature called Geofence which keeps track of the phone owner’s physical location. If the person exits the “fence” (which can be set on the phone – 1 to 15 miles radius), an email with a link to that person’s exact location on Google Maps, and an iCloud link (for tracking in real time if the emergency contact knows the phone owner’s iCloud login) is sent to the emergency contact. 

Both these features can be especially helpful to people who suffer from Dementia, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, or any other disease that affects judgement, cognition etc.

The idea behind the app is to give peace of mind to caregivers, and to assure them that their loved ones are safe. Although this app is meant for people with cognitive deficits, I see this app as a very useful tool for even people with visual impairment who may use the help button if they get lost during their daily travels, or exit their “geofence”. People with low vision too may find the big thumbnails very helpful for making calls.

Currently, this app is only available for iOS (4.2 and above) for $9.99. Go to the Apple app store to buy this app.

To visit the developer’s website, click here. The developer also has a Facebook page (Unus Tactus) and a twitter handle (@unustactus).