DIY Technology Solutions to Things Bothering My Aging Relatives
Written by: Frank Engelman. Posted: September 17, 2020.
Photo by Anne Nygård on Unsplash
My relatives and their friends are in their 70's and 80's and 90's now, and I am finding they have some recurring "problems" that get in the way of life being as enjoyable as I think it should be.
The good news is that I have come up with a variety of DIY "Tech Solutions" to these problems that I have implemented for them. I am collecting and describing them here, and I hope they will be useful for you too.
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Now Includes Solutions to the Problems Readers Send In.
Starting in 2021, some of the problems below have been submitted by readers and Longevity Explorers (thank you). If Frank has a solution, they are included below.
Problems & DIY Technology Solutions
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Last Updated: March 20, 2021.
Frank Engelman
I graduated with a MSEE from California State Sacramento in 1974 and started working at a local ultrasound company that was acquired by GE Medical Systems in 1979. I spent the next 10 years working on medical ultrasound doing hardware design and software programming. When GE decide to move the...
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Reader Comments: "DIY Technology Solutions to Things Bothering My Aging Relatives"
from John Milford (member) at October 05, 2020
Frank, thank you for this treasure chest of solutions to common problems encountered by many, many older adults. I will be staying tuned for more! Bravo!
from faengelm (member) at October 06, 2020
Hello John,
Thanks for your kind words.
We`are always looking for new problems to solve. If you think of any problems we could work on, please create a Post (if you are a logged in member) or send us an email (use the contact form in footer).
Frank
from Laura (unverified) at January 04, 2021
I’m 90 and don’t like the “open-concept living” and never have. TOO NOISEY! With hearing aids now, even if you take them out, noise overtakes watching tv—there’s the blender, pots and pans, unloading dishwasher, washer and drier, people talking loudly, additional tv’s running in adjacent rooms—most of this sometimes at the same time. Unfortunately, hearing aids manufacturers haven’t found a way to alleviate background noise. Turning them up only makes things worse. Now, I just go back to my room where, thankfully, I do not have a tv. Thus, I run the risk of being uninvolved with my family or remote and uninterested—misunderstood. Therefore, I play games on an iPad more than I should or get bored and sleep too much.
from faengelm (member) at January 04, 2021
Hello Laura,
I understand what you are talking about in these open-concept spaces.
The first thought I had was the noise-canceling headsets from Bose or Sony that I used to wear on long airplane flights, but those are pretty expensive and you probably don't really want to listen to music
The other option I can think of is those noise reduction headsets that people wear when shooting. These are less than $20, I don't have any specific recommendation, but may someone else will
While you might think this will look awkward, you could always sit with others and when someone wants to talk to you slip them down around your neck. When they are done, put them back on.
At least you can get out of your room
Other than games on the iPad or regular TV, there are more interesting videos that you could watch on a Fire TV
Making TV "Useful" For My 94-yr-old Aunt
TV Always On in Background: Mind-Numbing
Magic Carpet Apps for That (from author Tom Hilton)
Frank
from mahi (unverified) at January 18, 2021
Do you have an app that sets a dementia clock on Alexa. A dementia clock will usually display, month, day of the week, number and a digital time
from faengelm (member) at January 19, 2021
Hello Mahi,
I received several requests for one, and I'm working on it.
The problem in creating one on an Echo Show is that Amazon only allows a Skill to have control of the screen while the Skill is active. So if you wanted to do something else on the Echo Show, you would have to exit the Skill and then restart the Skill.
The only dementia Skill I have right now just shows the time, and a "go back to sleep" message
Frank