Mother's Day Special: How AI, apps are empowering women to manage finances, improve health, build career
Women are learning to keep pace with the ubiquitous apps and AI, shrugging off dependence on their kids for financial transactions, online shopping, utility bill payments, documentation and paperwork, health care and medical needs, travel (bookin...
Introduce AI health as sistants to help your mother understand mi nor symptoms before deciding if a doctor’s visit is necessary, something Sarang does on a regular basis.
The drag of old age and loneliness had started to take a toll on Kolkata-based Alka Palan four years ago. Her children, Nidhi Jain, 39, and Jayant Palan, 37, were busy with their own lives, and the 64-year-old (at the time) homemaker had nothing to look forward to. “She seemed to lack a sense of purpose, and I could see her losing confidence, feeling depressed and avoiding social interaction,” says Jain. That’s when the siblings decided to introduce her to apps and artificial intelligence (AI).
“It has truly changed her life, especially after she joined an online group for senior citizens in 2023. She started using ChatGPT and Meta AI for research and participation in group activities and has regained her confidence,” says Jain.
“I also use AI and other apps to understand my medical reports, set reminders for medicines, draft scripts, edit pictures, create videos, even play online games with my grandson,” says the 68-year-old Palan, who has found a way back to a fulfilling life.
Palan is among a growing tribe of senior citizen mothers, who are starting to take charge of their lives with technology and the much-needed prodding from their tech-savvy children. They are learning to keep pace with the ubiquitous apps and AI, shrugging off dependence on their kids for financial transactions, online shopping, utility bill payments, documentation and paperwork, health care and medical needs, travel (booking cabs or navigation), recreation, and even career management.
Take 74-year-old Kalpana Sarang, a Marathi TV actress from Mumbai, who was helped by her daughter to manage her career through AI. “Since I’m not too fluent in English, I use ChatGPT to translate the scripts to Hindi and Marathi, and prepare for auditions on my own, for which I needed help earlier,” she says. She also uses it for navigation and booking cabs, online shopping, and keeping tabs on her health.
Children can indeed play a crucial role in guiding their mothers to use AI and digital tools to manage various aspects of their lives, including finances, health, career and daily tasks. To help them adopt technology more easily, suggest apps and AI that are closer to human interaction, conversational and user-friendly. “However, remember, that while children can assist, they should not replace professional advice, especially when it comes to finances or health. Their role is more about empowering their mothers and acting as ‘digital enablers’,” says Dante De Gori, CEO, Financial Planning Standards Board (FPSB) International.
If you, too, are looking to empower your mother this year, here are some areas you can consider.
FINANCES: While many mothers may not be ready to take on complete financial management, especially if they have not been active their entire lives, you could start by helping them understand basic or even complex concepts, consolidate financial documents, and set reminders for payment of utility bills, insurance premiums and mutual fund systematic investment plans (SIP).
“My mother has started using ChatGPT to understand basic financial concepts because she has never managed complex money tasks,” says Jain. You could also introduce AI assistants like Claude or ChatGPT to help understand complex documents, which can be a game-changer for mothers.
“She can paste a policy bond, an SIP statement, or a CAMS (Computer Age Management Services) consolidated report and ask, in her own language, ‘Explain this to me simply’ or ‘What am I actually paying for?’ She won’t be dependent on a relationship manager’s interpretation,” says Ashok Kumar E R, Chief Client Officer, Scripbox. For day-to-day banking, WhatsApp banking and voice-enabled UPI work in Hindi and most regional languages, and are far gentler entry points than full banking apps, he adds.
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“Mothers in most Indian households already manage the monthly budget. What they often lack is a consolidated view of investments and the confidence to interpret what they own,” says Kumar. Hence, your mother could use apps to bring to a single dashboard the family’s investments (mutual funds, fixed deposits, EPF, etc.) and insurance for easy management.
Palak Chauhan, Founder & CEO, GoalSeek, a personal finance company, has tried to do just that for her 61-year-old mother, Sangeeta, a retired ed-tech professional. “My sister and I asked ourselves: If our mom had to manage everything on her own, would she be able to? The answer at that point was ‘no’. Not because she is not capable, but because everything was scattered. Now, I feel I have simplified things for her, which makes her feel confident and in control,” says the Sebi (Securities and Exchange Board of India)-registered investment adviser.
Health apps store prescriptions, reports and test results in one place.
Digital reminders for medicines, doctor appointments, health checkups.
Tech tools AI: Whisper AI, Google Assistant (voice feature), Suno (AI) Apps: Practo, Swiggy Instamart, Voice Recorder (Android) Note:Since her hands tremble, typing was difficult for her. I installed Whisper AI on her phone so she could use the speech-totext option. —SHEETAL RAY
This is also why she is building GoalSeek, a personal finance app, with her sister, which includes a feature inspired by her mother. “She would often forget what jewellery she had, where it was kept, and where the bills or certificates were. So we built ‘Vault’, where she can store photos, documents and notes to remember when she needs it,” says Chauhan.
You could also set up an expense tracker app that categorises spending without manual entry. “You could use AI tools to align her savings with specific life goals rather than leaving money in the bank; set up AI assistants to predict upcoming utility bills and automate recurring insurance renewals so that it doesn’t lapse,” says Jaspreet Bindra, Founder & CEO, AI&Beyond.
“A good reason you should show your mother how to use AI-based money applications is that it’s very conversational, tailormade, instead of being generic, and offers advice worth 5-6 human experts,” says Sujata Seshadrinathan, Co-founder & Director, IT, Product and Process, Basiz Fund Services.
Remember, however, that no app can replace a proper conversation about risk appetite, asset allocation, or how much corpus she will need for her own retirement, particularly if she outlives her spouse.
HEALTH CARE: Introduce AI health assistants to help your mother understand minor symptoms before deciding if a doctor’s visit is necessary, something Sarang does on a regular basis. “I use ChatGPT to check whether my symptoms require me to consult a doctor or not, and translate it in Hindi or Marathi for me,” she says.
“My mother has started using AI to understand her health reports, set medicine reminders, and order medicines online. She also tracks her steps on a smartwatch and attends yoga and spiritual classes online, which has improved her overall well-being,” says Jain.
Perhaps, the biggest advantage is using AI to translate medical jargon. “A discharge summary or pathology report can be uploaded to Claude with a simple prompt: ‘Explain this in Malayalam, simply, and tell me what to ask the doctor next.’ Claude, in particular, tends to handle medical content with appropriate caution,” says Kumar.
You could also use it to read health insurance policy wording and flag exclusions, waiting periods, sublimits on room rent, etc., in simple language. For mothers living alone, a wearable (Apple Watch, Fitbit, Noise) device increases safety via fall detection, irregular heart-rhythm alerts, SOS calling, medication reminders, with voice alerts in her language, reducing chances of missed doses.
You could also use apps like Tata 1mg and PharmEasy to handle medicine subscriptions, refill reminders, and home delivery, which are especially valuable for diabetes, hypertension and thyroid medications prevalent among older Indian women, says Kumar.
Tech tools AI: ChatGPT, Meta AI Apps: Zoom, Google Maps/ Meet/Calendar, Truecaller, Uber, Apollo Pharmacy, Blinkit, Amazon Online: Google, YouTube Note:AI usage has helped her overcome isolation and given her confidence to travel and interact freely. —NIDHI JAIN Kalpana Sarang, 74 Actress, Mumbai Tech-enabler Bindisha, in 40s (daughter) Tech usage
Translation of audition scripts from English to Hindi, Marathi.
Medical consultation.
Navigation while travelling.
Generating images for work.
Grocery, food delivery.
Tech tools AI: ChatGPT Apps: Google Pay, Phone Pe, Blinkit, Swiggy, JioMart, Amazon, Urban Company, KisanKonnect, Chalo, Myntra Note:I have become more confident and independent after using ChatGPT as it helps me translate scripts, prepare for auditions and travel freely. —KALPANA
CAREER, HOBBIES, OTHER USAGE:
You could use AI to help her research hobbies, plan trips, summarise long articles, learn new languages or skills at her own pace. You could also move her from typing to talking, using voice commands to set alarms, make lists, or call family. Mumbai-based Sheetal Ray has done just that by installing Whisper AI on her 70-year-old mother Pradhnya Bansod’s phone. “Since her hands tremble, typing is difficult for her. With the app, she can use the speech-to-text option which has made messaging, searching, and notemaking much easier,” says Ray.
You could also use AI-powered photo apps to organise and restore old photographs, ‘live transcribe’ for better typing long text, and automate lighting and AC to ensure she doesn’t fumble in the dark.
PROTECT FROM SCAMS
While enabling your mother, it’s imperative not to overlook the risks associated with tech use. “Studies indicate that women are more likely than men to be victims of social engineering techniques that develop an emotional connection through fake friendships, creation of fake community organisations, or by providing help via caregiving,” says Manish Chasta, Cofounder, Eventus Security.
They can be scammed through phone calls impersonating customer support, AI-generated voice scams that imitate someone they know, or urgent messages and warnings. Agrees Chauhan: “Don’t trust AI responses blindly. These models are still learning, sometimes hallucinating, which in the personal finance space makes it really dangerous.”
It was this fear that prevented Bansod from conducting financial transactions. “She was so scared of getting scammed that it was a challenge to teach her. I finally convinced her by setting guidelines, such as never sharing OTP, PIN, CVV, passwords, or bank details, using trusted Wi-Fi and mobile data, and sharing finances with a trusted family member,” says Ray.
As digital adoption grows, maintaining strong cyber hygiene has become essential for safe use of tech tools. “Users should verify information from multiple trusted sources and avoid sharing personal or financial data with AI systems. Security can also be strengthened by enabling twofactor authentication,” says De Gori.
“Before prompting her to use an app, check whether it’s trustworthy and go through the rules and terms yourself. It’s also important to tell her the information that should never be shared or disclosed online. In fact, you can print a list of instructions and pin it up at a common place, which can help her use and trust the app better,” says Seshadrinathan.
“The one habit that prevents most scams is to build a five-minute pause into every digital decision involving money or credentials. Indian scams run on speed: panic, urgency, fear. Teach her one sentence: ‘I’ll call you back from the official number.’ Most scammers hang up,” says Kumar.
Also teach her to forward ‘urgent’ messages claiming to be from her bank, courier, or KYC team to an AI assistant, and always remaining alert to phishing links. You could also help her set up a family password manager (1Password or Bitwarden). Other measures include setting social media to ‘friends only’ option, refusing strangers’ messages, a common opening for frauds targeting older women.
Cyber crime
Protect your mother Teach your mum safe practices while using mobile apps, AI and digital platforms. Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Verify medical, financial, legal and technical information with experts before taking a decision.
Don’t paste sensitive personal or financial information, such as banking, business details, PAN, Aadhaar or account passwords.
AI does not know how to say ‘no’, and if pushed, it will hallucinate. So corroborate all information.
Mobile calls
Use ‘safeword strategy’ by deciding on a family safeword to verify identity if she receives a ‘distress call’ from a voice that sounds like yours.
Hang up if the caller sounds ‘robotic’ or creates extreme urgency to prevent digital arrests.
Refrain from immediate reactions. Think before replying to any call or message that requests money or personal information.
No legitimate bank or government official will ask for an OTP or password over the phone.
Financial transactions
Scanning a QR code sends money and receiving money does not require a PIN. If someone asks you to accept money by entering a PIN, it’s a fraud.
Never click payment links sent over random messages, social media, or unknown e-mails.
Link a separate bank account with low amount for UPI/ mobile transactions.
Internet
Never access the Internet over Wi-Fi, especially in public, for financial tasks.
Teach her to check for ‘padlock’ icon and spelling errors in URLs.
Don’t put personal information on the Internet and social media. Many scams begin with data from social media sites.
Don’t click on random links, even if they look official.
Never share OTP, PIN, CVV, password, name, date of birth, PAN or Aadhaar number.
Fake customer care numbers are common. Always use the official website or app.
Devices
Lock phone with a strong PIN or biometric option.
Keep operating systems (OS) and apps updated as many attacks target outdated software.
Avoid ‘modded’ or MOD (modified) APK (Android Package Kit) files shared on WhatsApp/ Telegram, a major malware source.
Install apps only from trusted stores like Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Screen-sharing apps should never be installed at someone else’s request.
Source: Jaspreet Bindra, Ashok Kumar E R, Dante De Gori,Palak Chauhan, Manish Chasta, Sujata Seshadrinathan
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