Nana's Cell Phone

As is customary, new US presidents always present royal dignitaries and other world leaders with a "welcoming gift."  President Obama presented Queen Elizabeth II with an ipod full of American showtunes.  Queen Elizabeth II will be 83 this month (on April 21st).  So, an ipod?  Hmm...

Pictured above:  President Obama, Queen Elizabeth II, Michelle Obama, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

I think it was the perfect gift.  Sometimes we don't introduce "old people" to technology because we think they won't understand it, when in reality cell phones and internet are the kinds of things we should be taking full advantage of to keep the lines of communication open.

I was reading the New York Times' blog "The New Old Age," which discusses what it is like to deal with aging, aging parents, and so forth.  While reading the post Wise Counsel at Unexpected Moments, by Dale Russakoff, which discusses ways to keep communication lines open with aging family members, I began thinking about my own experiences with my Nana. 

My 94-year-old great-grandmother, whom we called "Nana," passed away in June 2007.  The year before she died, she fell and broke her pelvis while getting dressed.  Prior to the fall, she had been living alone, completely independent, for the past 20 years since my great-grandfather had passed away. She needed supervision while healing, so she was sent to a nursing home/rehab center for a few months while she recovered.

The rehab center was full of elderly people, but not people "like her."  Many had severe dementia and many others were bitter about life to the point of being intolerable to be around.  Although she had been living alone for twenty years, I don't think she felt really "lonely" until she lived with all of those old people in that rehab center. 

We visited Nana often, but it always felt uncomfortable being there, sort of like visiting a patient in a hospital.  My parents bought her a cell phone so she could call us whenever she wanted to. 

She loved that cell phone! And we were always happy to hear from her.  She called everyone she knew and talked all day.  She knew would even schedule "phone dates" with her daughter who lived in Florida, so that she knew every day at, say, 7, her daughter would call to check in. 

And even if aging family members cannot communicate via cell phone or email, there are plenty of ways in which technology can make their lives more full and interesting.  My mother-in-law is the marketing director for Highland Cove, an assisted living center.  She's told me about how much residents love playing "the wii" bowling and cheering each other on.  This seems like a perfect way to communicate across generations, and reduce the awkwardness we sometimes feel when visiting elderly loved ones.

Do you have any stories about technology aiding communication or about dealing with aging family members?  Please share on my comment board.

-Adrienne

Comments

[Ginny Echevarria]

There's also a program called M-Power that helps seniors keep their brain sharp. It's a lot of fun to watch the people at our facility who would normally be afraid of the computer sit down and play this program for hours. It's made to increase memory and each screen is based on the answers given in the previous screen. Great Blog, Adrienne and thanks for including me. Ginny

[Caffeinated Epiphany]

Thanks Ginny!

(Ginny is that fabulous mother-in-law I was talking about).

[m]Power is a program developed by Dakim Inc. and is a "cognitive fitness system" designed to help senior living facility residents protect themselves against dementia. Here is a link for more info:

http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080819005280&newsLang=en

Coffee may also help protect against dementia...see my recent post, "Coffee, Redeemed" for more info: http://caffeinatedepiphany.typepad.com/caffeinated_epiphany/2009/03/redemption-for-coffee-drinkers-everywhere-check-out-this-article-in-the-new-york-times-today--httpwwwnytimescom20090.html

Cheers,
-Adrienne

[Live Answering Service]

It really needs a live answering service.

Ben Cliff