| Learning
To Live With New Technology Can Make Life Easier for All Ages |
By
Luci Koizumi
Senior Correspondent |
| "My grandson replaced AOL with a free program now
I can't figure out how to get my e-mail." |
| "My daughter e-mails lots of pictures of the grandkids,
but I wish I knew how to print them out properly." |
| "My new computer's operating system is different and
now I can't find my files and favorite places. My son showed
me when he set it up, but I couldn't keep up with what he
was doing." |
| These comments are from casual conversations with friends.
Many of us probably made New Year's resolutions to learn more,
find the manual, or take a course to improve our technical
proficiency. |
| Well, we're not too old and it's not too late. Reston Community
Center's Senior Academy offers at least a dozen classes on
word processing, the Internet, photo editing and computer
maintenance. The Herndon Senior Center offers registered members
personal computer assistance on Thursday afternoons and beginning
instruction Saturday mornings. Both are free on a drop-in
basis. |
| Of course many seniors are very computer savvy. Some are
teaching these courses, running computer-based businesses,
managing their investments and banking online, buying or selling
on eBay, playing online games, competing in fantasy sports,
planning trips online and visiting chat rooms and message
boards. |
| For others, however, not only computers, but cell phones,
PDAs, iPods, and other handheld electronic devices are intimidating.
Buttons are too small and close together, screens too hard
to read, and instructions overly complicated. Text messaging
shorthand is as confusing as Gregg would be to the younger
set. |
| The generation that made nursery monitors and "nanny
cams" a staple of child-rearing is looking for similar
technology to check up on aging parents 24 hours a day, seven
days a week. |
| The ubiquitous "personal alert" buttons are being
replaced by more sophisticated systems that can alert a family
member or caregiver when certain doors are opened or a medication
dose is missed. The Online Medicine Cabinet even has face
recognition software so it can accommodate more than one person
in a household. AT&T's Remote Monitor tracks movements and
sends live video from sensors in a home to PCs, PDAs or wireless
phones. ADT Security's Quiet Care can monitor time spent in
the kitchen, medication intake, even bathroom trips. |
| A program currently being developed includes sensors embedded
in chairs to measure vital signs and health status. A "smart
cane" can detect changes in a person's step, signal instability
and help prevent falls. Some of these monitoring technologies
raise ethical issues of sacrificing privacy for safety. Even
the frailest elderly may not want a family member or caregiver
monitoring their bathroom visits. |
| Some technologies are intended to protect those with Alzheimer's
or a tendency to wander. Home security systems and GPS devices
can be set up to track their movements. The Fairfax County
Sheriff's Office recently instituted such a system to locate
missing adults and children who have wandered away from home.
One commercial device, the "Loca8tor" generally
used for finding keys and other belongings from hundreds of
feet away, advertises that its tiny tags can be used to track
elderly family members, children and pets, setting off an
alarm if they move out of a preset range. Think of it as a
600-foot leash. |
| Many new technologies, however, are designed to make life
more interesting and rewarding at any age. Manufacturers and
mass marketers are well aware of the "Age Wave"
swelled by aging Baby Boomers. Already Nintendo video games
and the Wii are popular in upscale 55 and older living facilities.
PC-based and handheld brain games are fun and may even help
forestall memory loss. |
| To introduce and demonstrate technology and devices that
can make life easier and more fun for seniors, the Reston
Association's Senior Advisory Committee, of which I am a member,
will hold an Electronics Expo from 1 to 3 p.m. March 28 at
the Tall Oaks retirement community, located at 12052 North
Shore Drive in Reston. |
| Nintendo video brain games and Wii game systems, Jitterbug
and other cell phones, and various DVD players will be demonstrated
by associates from Best Buy. Radio Shack will show a variety
of devices, including a talking watch, portable motion detector,
easy-to-use big button phones, an extra loud alarm clock and
handy "memo minders" including one with its own
fan. A Geek Squad member will be available to answer questions.
Local senior Art Trieber will demonstrate how to preserve
favorite records, tapes, photos and 35 mm slides by converting
them to digital format. The event is free and open to seniors
and interested family members. |
