Solutions to the challenges of the elderly and technology

I have made a valiant effort to keep up with the world’s ever-changing technology. I can operate a cell phone, a computer, an iPod nano, my HD TV to some degree (if I have my glasses and all three remotes) a GPS navigation system, etc. Some days, though, I just can’t face figuring out another electronic gismo. Then I think of my father, who in his younger days could have built you an entire home as well as most all of the furniture for that home, but today faces serious challenges many senior citizens face with technology. At his family’s insistence, he bought a cell phone for safety reasons. His mailbox was setup, even though he has never used it. I checked his messages one day and found one from two years prior. He turns the phone on to make a call and then immediately shuts it off. Your chances of getting him to answer a call are slim to none.

We bought my father a 5-disc CD changer for Father’s Day. When asked how he liked it, he said that he spent most of the day on the phone with the manufacturer because the discs were stuck in the machine. Upon checking, I discovered that he had flipped the CD’s over as you would do with record albums, and the machine was not recognizing them. My father is in awe of, yet distrusts, my GPS navigation system. He has asked me how the “woman” who gives me directions can give everyone directions at the same time. Remotes, with their small buttons, present a daily dilemma also. There is always the question of which remote goes with which piece of equipment. My aunt, too, has struggled with what many of us would consider to be very basic equipment. She never played her radio or CD player in her new car. They were just too complex for her to think about.

 The Elderly and Technology Solutions

Obviously, there is a need for simpler versions of technology for the elderly. Some companies are addressing this need. The Jitterbug cell phone may be one such company. It seems that they are tuned in to the challenge of senior citizens and technology. Their phones have big buttons, large screens and live, 24-hour operators available to provide technical assistance. No cameras and no other bells and whistles make their phones a refreshing change for our seniors. Jitterbug has taken on the “simplicity” challenge.

A way of expanding communication for the senior who doesn’t own or want to own a computer, but would like to receive family photos, hand written notes, etc. is a device called Presto. It consists of a Printing Mailbox that you plug into a power outlet and an existing ordinary phone jack. Using any email account, people can send email and photos to the HP Printing Mailbox user. The Presto Service converts regular email and photo attachments into Presto Mail—printouts that are automatically delivered to the HP Printing Mailbox on a daily schedule, just like letters.

On a more basic technology level, there is a nationwide identification program sponsored by the Alzheimer’s Association which provides help if a person with Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia wanders away and becomes lost. It is called Safe Return, and when an enrolled member is missing, a community support network is activated to help find the lost individual. Through the use of identification products such as an engraved bracelet or necklace, listed contacts will be notified when the person is found.

Aging parents often do not want any modern-day tools, but may be more prone to accept them if they understand that a few small technology advances can help to ease your mind knowing that they have options in case of emergency.

Gerri Tyber, Operations Manager

Barton Home Care