Here’s me, a late phase Baby Boomer navigating the turbulent seas of the Super Seniors (active, independent 80’s and above). Helping my elders stay connected is one of my most needed services. And I need help myself!
It is a for sure fact, that if I can think of a needed tool or toy or direction for improvement, somebody else has already come up with it. I just need to go looking. And sometimes I do not have to go very far! In just the past few days I have stumbled across a promising solution to something I have been talking up as a big social need for some time now, at least in our little corner of the Universe:
A way to make it easier for seniors to use technology when they reach the age when they forget how.
This is a real thing. The first time I witnessed this phenomenon a family member that had programmed early PC’s at home and had been a techie all his adult life could no longer remember how to use his laptop. He returned three printers he purchased because they were "defective" before he realized that he was unable to recall the keyboard commands to print. This fellow had spent most of his days before this decline “parked at his desk” reading newspapers online. He pursued his beloved photography hobby on his PC, editing and sharing photos. This inability was so frustrating to him that he stopped even going into his home office. Unfortunately, he had transferred all the household accounts to the computer.
Because so much of our life business is accomplished online now, not having access to this technology or having and losing access can be crippling.
The forgetting was not limited to the computer. He eventually could not remember how to use his e-reader or cell phone without assistance. Now I am noticing my Mom is having trouble remembering how to use her phone. Two other families in our circle of oldies have stopped using their home PC’s because they cannot remember how. Really, all these folks need help to get voicemail or text messages.
And so much of our social connections are dependent on access to technology. Email, text and social media are our gathering places. If we cannot go there we miss so much.
This has become an important concern for me. Not only do I need to help my folks with their technology issues but I can see myself needing such help in the future. I have already complained that advances in technology are whizzing by way faster than my ability to keep up with them.
Well…the other day I was reminding Mom that she could press the “mic” key on her cell phone and say “Call Lisa” to phone me without looking up my number… VOICE RESPONSE TECHNOLOGY
Then I noticed the “Ask Cortana “ sticker that I had never removed from the case of my inexpensive little laptop and started to wonder…just what can this do? I tried it out. Voice requests to “open Facebook”; “open email”; “open documents” in addition to an unsolicited weather report: this could work for my oldies!
Apple products have Siri. Amazon has Alexa. These are just the ones I have encountered that can assist with access to technology by voice command. None of these is a complete solution but it gives me hope that one is out there. All I need is somebody who understands the capabilities now available with current technology to point the way. To teach me so I can share with my folks.
What I need is a Millennial… :)
Final note: since I started writing these thoughts I have encountered more Voice Response technology. Google Home, Amazon's line of similar products and IHome on the horizon. OH BOY...And then I encountered companion robots...whoaaaaaaa!
We live in a wonderful time. We are blessed beyond measure with so much information, communication, entertainment, beauty, all at our fingertips and available to the least of us as well as the great. Be sure to share with those you can to the best of your ability so that they may partake of the bounty too.
Big Love, Lisa
PS Share any ideas or feedback with me here or on my Facebook page LivingLive@livingitupward I would love to hear from you! Please share this post with anyone you think may be interested or benefit from it. I really would like to grow this conversation!
Great article Lisa. We recently discussed this topic and the need to share our passwords... automatic or onlin bill pay/banking is a wonderful convenience but could turn into a nigjtmare..
ReplyDeleteThank you, D! I appreciate you reading this! I am enjoying this exploration...just encountered face recognition technology to replace passwords! Potential for Problems here too but what a relief it would be not to have to remember and protect all those passwords!
DeleteWhat a great article Lisa. Every point you bring up is very true. There are other voice systems/programs out there at various price levels/versions of task ability that can assist people via computer. This assistive technology can provide the ability for the person to speak to the computer and the computer respond by opening the desired program that performs the task needed. This technology in its more elementary development stages has been available for many years but for some reason not come into the limelight. The only reason I'm familiar at all with this technology is because of my wife's needs as a result of a high level spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed basically from the neck down. The use of this type of voice activated technology can be a life changing benefit to a person who for what ever reason is unable to write and send an email or surf the internet to learn and stimulate their minds outside their own four walls. This technology also has the ability to control a persons environment with various peripheral gadgets. One can open doors, turn on lights, TV, control the heat and A/C, etc. My exposure to this type of assistive technology was several years ago when it was technicologically and hardware cumbersome. Hopefully by now the program development folks out there have refined and improved its operator friendliness and made the peripheral gadgets needed more responsive and dependable. And let us not forget to bring up the expense involved with this type of technology. In years past this type of program and all the necessary gadgets needed to control lights, locks, doors, etc has not been inexpensive and consequently has only benefited those able to pay. Maybe by now it is more affordable. Sorry Lisa I went off on my own rabbit trail but I imagine the technology you seek is probably available and would be very beneficial to those we hold so close to our hearts. The program name I am aware of from our past is Dragon Dictate. It has been around for over 20 years that I'm aware of. They have various programs based on the persons various needs in task and vocabulary. I think I have taken the original subject well beyond the scope intended but the point is that this type of voice activation has the potential to benefit so many people including the elderly and those with physical limitations. Hugs and Kisses
ReplyDeleteThank you Jim! Your comment is EXACTLY what I hoped for! You know, it surprises me that voice recognition hasn't actually been more widely used! And these neat little smart home devices are actually getting more affordable! But they all have their own little quirks to be worked through - one of our cousins was telling me about folks that were TALKING about ordering something and the device went ahead and ordered it!😳 Did you see the little companion robot post though Jim? (my John wants one of those!) (I would like a little Rosie robot, 'member the Jetson's one?). Thank you for the info you shared! ❤️
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