4 ms·

My Mother-in-law could never figure out how to use a touchscreen phone. Getting her own phone line was very difficult and finding a good flip style phone is get

My Mother-in-law could never figure out how to use a touchscreen phone. Getting her own phone line was very difficult and finding a good flip style phone is getting harder and harder. I found that many newer models of cordless home phones will bluetooth tether to a cellphone. This way we could keep her phone plugged in and charged and she could just use the cordless style phone she was already accustomed to.

EliRivers 7y ago
I spent a good ten minutes recently trying to use a phone to make a phone call. In the end, I went onto google play and searched for "dialer" and installed one and when it finished installing, the button marked "install" turns to "run" (or some such - open maybe) and got the newly installed dialer program to start, and then I could make a phone call. I'm sure there was at least one dialer program installed already. No idea how to find it. There is a lot to be said for a simple phone that puts making phone calls front and centre, with permanent buttons with numbers on them.
docker_up 7y ago
I use an iPad with my mother who has severe dementia. I screwed the iPad down to the table and set FaceTime to automatically answer. This helps a bit so that I can call out to her. I also have a Nest cam in her room so I can see her that way as well. It's a terrible existence that my mother is living.
- pimlottc 7y ago
  > [I] set FaceTime to automatically answer. Huh, I didn’t realize this was an option, that’s very useful for situations like this. Thanks for the tip!
donclark 7y ago
I actually got my 80yr old mother a Google Home mini for $25 off ebay. She can easily ask it to play her favorite music, weather info, call the local pharmacy and more. She loves it.
zwieback 7y ago
I've found that change in general is the problem. My grandma was able to use her old tube radio no problem but when it broke she never used the newer stereo, even though she only had to push one button. 30 years later same issue with my mom, she can navigate very complex tasks no problem but has trouble with anything new, even if it's much "easier" to use. The trick would be to have new tech perfectly emulate whatever the old generation grew up with.
- ido 7y ago
  I wonder at what age that typically (if there is a typical experience) happens? My mother is in her mid 70s and very far from a techie or tech-interested (worked in textiles/fashion, never used a computer before the current century & then first only for making free international calls via Skype as was setup by us) & slowly but surely adapted to some small variety of new tech especially after retirement when she had more time on her hand. She does nothing fancy with it but is e.g. using a modern android phone to make video calls & send messages via whatsapp, play casual games, etc.
  - saltcured 7y ago
    I think your parenthetic comment hints at the truth. There isn't a typical age, rather a wide age band where individuals may experience different declines. With dementia, the descent can seem very rapid. One year, they are functioning well and adapting, but suddenly you realize they are in deep trouble. For a while, their adaptive energy may be devoted to covering up deficiencies. So, when this coping mechanism fails, the struggle suddenly emerges for all to see. But, some people may fit the description of "unable to learn new things" long before that sort of dementia is relevant. They may be depressed, or may have a prideful personality which avoids the unknown because any trial and error learning is embarrassing. Frustratingly, it can also be hard to get elders in this category to go anywhere near a doctor for a better evaluation. And without a better understanding of what is going on, it can be difficult to identify an appropriate intervention or care approach.
    - zwieback 7y ago

EliRivers 7y ago

I spent a good ten minutes recently trying to use a phone to make a phone call. In the end, I went onto google play and searched for "dialer" and installed one and when it finished installing, the button marked "install" turns to "run" (or some such - open maybe) and got the newly installed dialer program to start, and then I could make a phone call. I'm sure there was at least one dialer program installed already. No idea how to find it. There is a lot to be said for a simple phone that puts making phone calls front and centre, with permanent buttons with numbers on them.

docker_up 7y ago

I use an iPad with my mother who has severe dementia. I screwed the iPad down to the table and set FaceTime to automatically answer. This helps a bit so that I can call out to her. I also have a Nest cam in her room so I can see her that way as well. It's a terrible existence that my mother is living.

pimlottc 7y ago
> [I] set FaceTime to automatically answer. Huh, I didn’t realize this was an option, that’s very useful for situations like this. Thanks for the tip!

donclark 7y ago

I actually got my 80yr old mother a Google Home mini for $25 off ebay. She can easily ask it to play her favorite music, weather info, call the local pharmacy and more. She loves it.

zwieback 7y ago

I've found that change in general is the problem. My grandma was able to use her old tube radio no problem but when it broke she never used the newer stereo, even though she only had to push one button. 30 years later same issue with my mom, she can navigate very complex tasks no problem but has trouble with anything new, even if it's much "easier" to use. The trick would be to have new tech perfectly emulate whatever the old generation grew up with.

ido 7y ago
I wonder at what age that typically (if there is a typical experience) happens? My mother is in her mid 70s and very far from a techie or tech-interested (worked in textiles/fashion, never used a computer before the current century & then first only for making free international calls via Skype as was setup by us) & slowly but surely adapted to some small variety of new tech especially after retirement when she had more time on her hand. She does nothing fancy with it but is e.g. using a modern android phone to make video calls & send messages via whatsapp, play casual games, etc.
- saltcured 7y ago
  I think your parenthetic comment hints at the truth. There isn't a typical age, rather a wide age band where individuals may experience different declines. With dementia, the descent can seem very rapid. One year, they are functioning well and adapting, but suddenly you realize they are in deep trouble. For a while, their adaptive energy may be devoted to covering up deficiencies. So, when this coping mechanism fails, the struggle suddenly emerges for all to see. But, some people may fit the description of "unable to learn new things" long before that sort of dementia is relevant. They may be depressed, or may have a prideful personality which avoids the unknown because any trial and error learning is embarrassing. Frustratingly, it can also be hard to get elders in this category to go anywhere near a doctor for a better evaluation. And without a better understanding of what is going on, it can be difficult to identify an appropriate intervention or care approach.
  - zwieback 7y ago