I just had an aha moment as to why my parents refuse to get cable TV... the remotes are too complicated. Even I get baffled and I am usually good at figuring things out. Back when my Dad worked at GE he designed one of the first remotes.. it was so simple.... TV on or off... volume up or down.... change channels [of course back then we had a grand total of 3 to 4 channels]. Now look at today's remotes.
Last year Mom got a new washing machine... whatever happened to just ON/OFF,Hot, Cold, Heavy Load, Light Load, Delicate... and that was it. This machine was so complicated even Dad, who is an engineer, wasn't sure how to do a simple load of wash... plus the letter on the machine was in light blue which looked pretty but it was tough for aging eyes to read.
When we get into our 90's, I wonder what technology will be like then... will we need to sit in the dark because we can't figure out how to turn on the lights in the living room using our telephone???
I was blown away - it was perfect for seniors. I tried to get it for mother but it's not Apple friendly. I'll look up the name of it and pass it on.
FreqFlyer, what we used to do back in the old days before we all got caller ID was to call, let the phone ring twice, then hang up. Few minutes later we would call back and Mom, Dad or Sis knew it was a friendly call. And by that time they had opportunity to get to the phone so they weren't rushing.
But I will agree with most of the posts here, everything is complicated and I hear seniors including my mom (91) feeling like they are being left behind and isolating themselves from full living because they feel "dumb".
Pumping gas--everything is electronic, prompting 10 questions before you can even pump the gas--do you want to use debit, credit, cash, do you have a rewards card, do you want a car wash, etc BEFORE you can even select your gas grade and pump.
My mom doesn't know how to use a debit card, she can't remember a pass code.
Hearing aids, Bluetooth enabled.
Cell phones, buttons aren't user friendly for arthritic hands.
Folks can't see the tiny connection to plug it in for charging.
Wireless phone? My mom can't seat it right in the cradle to chArge. Her house is so old, it doesn't have a telephone jack in the tv room, or living room or any bedrooms but the MB in which she no longer sleeps. She can't hear the phone when she is in other rooms.
Microwaves? Coffee machines? They too have too many choices.
We may fare a little better because we use computers and electronics, but whT happens when we get forgetful, or our eyes go, our fingers aren't as nimble?
My hope is that youth of today will design useful tools, TVs electronics, appliances, etc which are simple and ADA accessible so we can remain as independent as possible and be able to operate our home comforts.
Technology is getting overwhelming. Personally I am cell-phone... er mobile device-challenged. We're supposed to be able to talk on the phone and do computer stuff all at the same time. I end up just hanging up on people if I try to do anything else besides talk. And doing anything except a simple text? Forget about it! I'm too dumb for my smart phone.
and so they can get their ads into your inbox.... Sometimes I wish I could go back to our family house, where 3 generations lived in a 3 story building... and we 2 radios, one telefon... a piano , a guitar, and books .... and mandatory Peace on Sundays ..... no stores open anywhere on Sundays!
Washing machines that spun the clothes were a major step forward.
Lol, when we used paper and pencils to schedule things, this would not have been a problem!
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