One of the great aspects of modern technology is how so much of it allows us to stay in touch with one another. Social networking sites like Facebook let us keep tabs on what’s going on in the lives of our friends and family. Services like Twitter let us send a message to an entire collection of friends and make plans on the fly. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

But there’s one demographic that manufacturers traditionally have a hard time reaching: the elderly. And because manufacturers have a tough time getting a hold in that market, it’s not easy for the rest of us to stay in touch with our older friends and relatives. The technology we rely on to keep us in the loop are the same gadgets and applications that older people seem to avoid.

The reasons why technology companies aren’t marketing cell phones to older adults range from physical issues such as failing eyesight and hearing to cultural barriers. While companies view baby boomers as tech-savvy consumers, the oldest members of the baby boomer generation and people born during the previous generation may not be as comfortable with modern gadgets. They may think of such devices as intimidating or too complicated to use.

­­But a gadget like a cell phone could be a great benefit to an elderly person. It can help that person maintain his or her independence. At the same time, it may even reduce their sense of isolation. According to Jamie van den Bergh of Clarity, most elderly individuals cite a fear of being in a nursing home, not a fear of death, as being the worst factor of growing older. For some senior citizens, a cell phone may allow them to continue to live on their own.

The National Institute on Aging says that one-third of senior citizens between the ages of 65 and 74 have hearing loss. And about half of all elderly people over the age of 85 have hearing problems. The Clarity phone incorporates an amplifier in the phone’s speaker. According to the company, the amplifier makes the Clarity phone twice as loud as ordinary cell phones.

Clarity not only makes cell phones but also home phones as well. One of my clients has replaced her home phone with a Clarity hard-line phone. Her daughter is amazed that her mother says, “Wait I have to take my hearing aid out” before she speaks to her on the phone to her! California has a Telephone Access Program (CTAP) that enables over half a million Californians to stay connected.

There’s a California Phone for every need.  For example, there are amplified phones that make it easier to hear conversations. Big button phones that are easier to dial: Phones with lights that flash for incoming calls, convenient portable phones – and more.  There are also phones that are specially designed for individuals with more significant disabilities.

California Phones are available to all eligible California residents. Individuals can receive free phone equipment with certification by a medical doctor, a licensed audiologist, a qualified state agency, or a hearing aid dispenser. You can visit the website at the following link: http://www.californiaphones.org/about.html

By Guest Blogger Dale Carter of TransitionAgingParents.com”

Both solutions I’m highlighting today include the following benefits.

They are:

• simple to set up and use
• well-designed and tested
• automated
• flexible
• support an aging parent’s independence and desire to age-in-place

The first product is OnTimeRX (“timely email, phone, SMS reminders”)  with reminder call (or message) for each medication a person takes.  This product has been in use since 2000, and was developed by Long-Term care pharmacist Susan Torrico.

• How many of our aging parents take every one of their medications on schedule every time?  It is indeed a challenge for the elderly.
• With the growing desire to age in place, and with the growing number of medications needed as we age, this service meets a critical daily need.
• There’s an added bonus to the service!  Calls can also be scheduled for other reasons, such as monitoring blood sugar, meal times, etc.

The concept is simple with the reminder calls/messages being offered to a land line, cell phone, computer email, Blackberry, Palm, Windows Mobile smart phone, or PDA.

Here’s how it works.  You and your aging parent:

• Tell the service how your aging parent wishes to receive the reminder calls and/or messages
• Set up the reminder schedule
• Record a personalized message for each call
• Benefits?  It’s simple to set up, flexible to any care plan needs, and is reliable, stress-free and non-judgmental.  It certainly does support aging-in-place.

As OnTimeRX says, “Think of OnTimeRX as a personal assistance or automated ‘To Do list that keeps people on track and happily involved in their own daily care routines.”…www.OnTimeRX.com

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The second product is FineThanx (“make every day independence day”) offering a daily automated call.

• How many of our parents forget to wear their PERS (personal emergency alert systems)?  I venture to say, quite a few.
• We’ve heard the statistics.  One in every 3 persons aged 65+ falls each year.
• With the growing desire to age in place and the risk of falling at home alone, wouldn’t it be great to have an automated system that checks on your loved one every 24 hours and communicates their status to their whole Circle of Care (including children that live far away)?

Peter Sharp, founder of FineThanx, developed this automated call system as a result of a person experience with his grandmother who fell, did not use her alert button and was not found for 2 days.

The service is simple but definitely meets the need!

• A call is made once or twice a day to the home of the elderly person.  The automated message tells the person to press “1″ if they are ok, press “2″ if they need help.
• If “2″ is pressed or if the call goes unanswered after 3 attempts, an second automated call sequence commences, calling one person at a time within the Circle of Care (established by the family)
• Members of the family’s Circle of Care receives email notification of calls each day so they can rest assured their loved one is ok.

www.FineThanx.com

Jitterbug Will Tell Grandma She’s Not Alone

by Sascha Segan

LAS VEGAS—If you can’t find time to call a doctor, what if the doctor calls you? Jitterbug phones will soon be able to make “wellness calls,” interactive calls from a recorded psychologist that help Jitterbug’s golden-age clientele feel better – and help their families track how they feel.

Jitterbug’s wellness calls come from Dr. Brian Alman, a psychologist and well-known specialist in self-hypnosis. He’s not hypnotizing anyone through the phone, though. Rather, he’s making weekly, five-minute robocalls to teach relaxation techniques and ask seniors how they’re feeling.