Helpful gadgets/devices to help aging parents. Here’s 2, any others?

[Anonymous]

The brand name of the simplified remote control is Flipper I think. It has a secret compartment where you set things up.

[Anonymous]

Oh and if your parent can afford it, a giant expensive apple ultra watch can be helpful because it doesn’t need charging as much as a phone and it is usually within reach.
Keep the ideas coming!

[Anonymous]

So when my aunt and uncle had a crisis earlier this year, we found no one really had a handle on their finances, so we had no idea what level of care they could afford. I set them up with Monarch Money, which is an financial aggregator similar to something like Mint or YNAB, but it has the advantage of allowing you to give access to other people.

So I set up the account, pulled in all the financial data, categorized the previous year’s transactions, then was able to send invites to my cousin’s email accounts so they would be able to see everything. So this way everyone was on the same page and we could see their income and how much they had coming in every month and where the money was going. Turns out their pension income was much higher than anyone realized and made it easier to find an assisted living facility for them.

This is my referral link if you want a 30-day trial: https://www.monarchmoney.com/referral/2rzwizdvx8

Or you can go straight to their website and do the 7-day trial: https://www.monarchmoney.com

It costs $100/year, but we’ve found it’s well worth it to be able to easily see what’s happening with their money and keep an eye on everything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got and programmed this phone for my father. He had other phones he could use to dial out.

https://www.amazon.com/Future-Call-FC-0613-Picture-Protection/dp/B0797JGC34/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?crid=2AL35LLAQJSWP&keywords=picture+phone&qid=1681421186&sprefix=%2Caps%2C118&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExMU0wSDQ3U0ZLOERZJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzgzNDgxMzVKMTIxM0xaODNUVSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTMwMDU0M0wxRUZBMzBINVA1WiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

Is there a cellphone version of this?

[Anonymous]

So many great ideas here.

One more tiny, but helpful item is a car cane. (A contraption that puts an extra handle on the door - gives a really strong support bar for getting in and out of the car.)

https://www.amazon.com/KOUNATSURI-Elderly-Support-Multifunction-Handicapped/dp/B0B81CFWYC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?hvadid=616990816241&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9007536&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=18430016231019522725&hvtargid=kwd-321227588952&hydadcr=24656_13611721&keywords=portable%2Bcar%2Bhandle&qid=1682353177&sr=8-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFHM0xURzhQSDdQUkEmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA1MjAwOTQxSEdaMkw2U1JQNFcmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDA1ODM4NjJQUThCVlQ2OFhGSUQmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&th=1

[Anonymous]

We got my dad a mobility wheelchair minivan. He does not walk anymore, and I wish we had done this years earlier, even when he was still mobile. It would have made it much easier to go out as family together on excursions, out to restaurants, museums, all of which fell by the wayside because even just getting him in and out of the wheelchair, house and car took quite a bit of effort. Definitely improved his quality of life.

[Anonymous]

You can use the post office’s Informed Delivery service to get pictures of your parent’s mail in daily emails so you can make sure important things get handled.

[Anonymous]

A cane that can open up into being a stool so you can sit and rest anywhere that you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can use the post office’s Informed Delivery service to get pictures of your parent’s mail in daily emails so you can make sure important things get handled.

This, and there are so many online tools now.

For my mom, from my phone, I can:

- curate her YouTube videos, so it's a continuous loop of her favorite shows. I can also turn it off/pause when she falls asleep in front of the tv.
- Cox voice tool - to block spam and see who she is keeping in touch with
- assess all her financial and health accounts (pension, Medicare, Kaiser, etc)
- security cameras (esp one pointed at the stove - gives alert when there is motion)
- robot vacuum - can set it up to run on schedule
- air tag on her keys (if she ever gets lost, I can get to her location). keeps her keys on lanyard.
- smart lights - when she's not home, I can turn on for security

Around the house, she has a huge calendar and large day/time/date clocks to keep her organized.
Externally, placed a bunch of "ADT" signs and solar lights in her yard; no trespass/solicitation stickers on the door.

And yes to Amazon Alexa - the drop in feature is brilliant. I get alerted (fm camera) when she's in a particular room and I can drop in - we video call every morning - just love this feature.

[Anonymous]

If they are at the point someone is bathing them, a handheld shower and shower chair.

Also, some towns offer the lifeline type lanyard and wristband service to seniors.

Meals on Wheels are nice for getting a friendly visitor to your loved one. They don’t have to be indigent for this.

[Anonymous]

for dementia:

- bed alarm (cord that makes a LOUD sound if it gets pulled out of the device and they get out or fall out of a of bed/wheelchair/chair)
- baby proofing everywhere with pool noodles, corner covers, etc.
- fake remotes that don't do anything
- door alarms
- Spotify playlist with their favorite songs
- Chromecast to easily cast their favorite movies
- fake phone that doesn't really do anything
- discrete baby monitors with night vision/audio/two way talk bonus for ones that track breathing
- wearable bluetooth thermometer for illnesses (Masimo)
- swivel seat cushion (good for car)
- grippy socks (not just for hospitals)
- adaptive clothing that they can't get off like nice looking jumpsuits
- for Catholic peeps: daily rosary podcast, mass on EWTN 3x a day or equivalent depending on religion
- OT cards and visual schedules for autism also works well for aphagia
- kids chocolate fluoride toothpaste with baby toothbrush if they stop liking mint
- dementia dishware (red with a lip to make it easier to self-feed) along with special straws that make it easier to sip out of (keeps liquid in it)

[Anonymous]

My parents found these helpful as their vision declined:

https://www.opticsplanet.com/carson-lumipop-5x-led-light-pop-out-magnifier.html

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So many great ideas here.

One more tiny, but helpful item is a car cane. (A contraption that puts an extra handle on the door - gives a really strong support bar for getting in and out of the car.)

https://www.amazon.com/KOUNATSURI-Elderly-Support-Multifunction-Handicapped/dp/B0B81CFWYC/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?hvadid=616990816241&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9007536&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=18430016231019522725&hvtargid=kwd-321227588952&hydadcr=24656_13611721&keywords=portable%2Bcar%2Bhandle&qid=1682353177&sr=8-1-spons&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFHM0xURzhQSDdQUkEmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA1MjAwOTQxSEdaMkw2U1JQNFcmZW5jcnlwdGVkQWRJZD1BMDA1ODM4NjJQUThCVlQ2OFhGSUQmd2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl&th=1

I bought one of these a year ago and it’s been deemed unhelpful by my mom. Do you have any usage tips?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A PP mentioned Alexa. How is this being used?

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.

Got my parent an Echo Show.

Used for knowing date/day of week, reminders, listening to music, and can be used for video calls (has a drop in feature that can be enabled if you want to be able do a video call with them having to answer). My parent's aides also use it for reminders (for my parent).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:for dementia:

- bed alarm (cord that makes a LOUD sound if it gets pulled out of the device and they get out or fall out of a of bed/wheelchair/chair)
- baby proofing everywhere with pool noodles, corner covers, etc.
- fake remotes that don't do anything
- door alarms
- Spotify playlist with their favorite songs
- Chromecast to easily cast their favorite movies
- fake phone that doesn't really do anything
- discrete baby monitors with night vision/audio/two way talk bonus for ones that track breathing
- wearable bluetooth thermometer for illnesses (Masimo)
- swivel seat cushion (good for car)
- grippy socks (not just for hospitals)
- adaptive clothing that they can't get off like nice looking jumpsuits
- for Catholic peeps: daily rosary podcast, mass on EWTN 3x a day or equivalent depending on religion
- OT cards and visual schedules for autism also works well for aphagia
- kids chocolate fluoride toothpaste with baby toothbrush if they stop liking mint
- dementia dishware (red with a lip to make it easier to self-feed) along with special straws that make it easier to sip out of (keeps liquid in it)

I’m dealing with a lot of the above now and it just absolutely amazes me how life comes full circle. If we weren’t on the elderly forum most of the above advice would be perfect for young children.