Helpful gadgets/devices to help aging parents. Here’s 2, any others?
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Anonymous
Early in the process we would ask it about the weather 1000 times, about random facts, and play games. It just gives the caregiver a little extra. |
Anonymous
I’m sure you could rig this up with an iPad or something but tbh imo when this becomes useful/important, you’re nearly to the point that a person needs to be there anywya. |
Anonymous
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I’ve used teamviewer to be able to view my mom’s iPhone, iPad and computer screens. I had to install the apps in person but I have been able to coach her remotely to activate them when needed.
For example,she was having a terrible time logging onto a telehealth appointment. Thanks to teamviewer I was able to tell that she was trying to click on the PDF instruction sheet instead of within the browser 😭 |
Anonymous
Also interested in creative ways to use an echo. I was thinking I could set up reminders from my side and even have some gentle nudges like "the weather is nice today. you should go for a walk!" I'd like to make it so that I am not nagging them 100 times a day to take their medicine or go to their doctors appointment. I am becoming the bad guy, and I'd like to share some of that with the echo. |
Anonymous
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I have the Alzheimer’s clock and I set reminders for morning and evening medication as well as a reminder for her to leave to go to dinner in the dining room.
I bought my mom two pairs of Kizik sneakers- they are slip in and she doesn’t have to bend down to get them on or to tie them. I also bought her a clock that is just a large button- you push it and it verbally tells the time. Push it again and it tells day and date. I have a large calendar but my mom barely looks at it. Im trying to find something that helps her navigate the TV remote. |
Anonymous
| Oh I also bought my mom a cell phone charging pad so she doesn’t have to plug in the phone. That was getting more difficult for her. |
Anonymous
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These washable chair pads https://www.vitalitymedical.com/cardinal-health-reusable-chair-pad-moderate-absorbency.html
Which were half the price a short time ago… A bar held in place by tension. Just extended between floor and ceiling. Reaching out and holding it with one hand makes standing much easier. Lots of jokes about poke dancing, but enormously helpful. Favorite radio station on iPad as a button, so one tap turns it n. Might need help with buttons (unclear control panel) but otherwise e veillent product and customer service. Order directly, not through Amazon. https://www.irenehouse.com/products/9188-lea-brown-lay-flat-recliner-chair-with-heat-and-massage?_pos=2&_sid=4efb7b713&_ss=r |
Anonymous
omg, I have to tell a story. DH set his Mom up in AS. Talked daily on the phone. We live pretty far away so it was several weeks until visiting again. He learned she had not changed the tv channel the entire time he was gone because she didn't know how and didn't want to inconvenience anyone. |
Anonymous
| Posted earlier. This reminds me. We put a tracker (Tile) on the remote. Saved the closest dwelling sibling HOURS of search time. |
Anonymous
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We got my FIL the Meta portal where he could say "Call John" and be able to do a video chat with his friend. I also created logins for hospital system portals to schedule appointments, communicate with care teams and review summaries of doctor/hospital encounters. |
Anonymous
| We have, and set one up for them, an Alexa Echo show with a large screen, so we can drop in on them anytime we want to see what is going on with them, confirm they ate, etc.. TV remote control with only channel change button, power button and volume button. They are nice TVs with apps streaming channels, and we dumbed it down to just basic cable channels since they would always hit the input button and would need us to come fix it, a big pain in the ass. |
Anonymous
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My mom is 87 an lives independently within a senior living community. She was issued a “lanyard” device to wear around her neck, similar to the “the I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” most of us know of.
What about installing pull cords in the bathroom-one by the toilet and the in a shower and maybe another above her bed? |
Anonymous
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The Hero brand robot pill server bought my mom an extra 10 months in independent living. You can load it for long periods of time and you can monitor remotely. Unf the words on the screen are not very legible for someone with reduced vision. Medicare may cover it now.
The GrandPad tablet is an email/voice call/video chat device with a closed ecosystem so only approved people can dial in and out. When it’s not in use it’s a photo slideshow. It hasn’t been life changing because my poor mom insists on trying to make her iPhone work even when it confuses her, but it’s pretty good, and I have heard from friends that it has been wonderful for elders who are not already too attached to their iPhones. It’s nice to have a cup holder on your walker/rollator/wheelchair. Sneakers with stiff heels that you can slip on without bending over are popular with some. I forget the brand but there is one that specializes in just this. |