San Antonio

When my grandfather was in his 80s it became evident that he was struggling with finding things to occupy his day. Throughout his life he had been physically active, playing golf on a weekly basis and getting outside as a way to pass the time during retirement. However, as age began taking its toll on his body, he had to give up many of the activities that he enjoyed and that kept him occupied during the day. To give him something to keep him entertained in the home, our family decided to pass on an older computer that was no longer getting regular use. My grandfather was excited about the opportunity to read his favorite British newspapers that he was missing out on, try out some computer games, and use email to connect with his relatives around the world.

To make using the computer as simple and straightforward as possible, we set up bookmarks on his computer, made sure that all of his logins and passwords were already stored, and created shortcuts to the applications and games that he used often. We also wrote down complete written instructions to walk him through every step of the process. The biggest difference for him was email, since in recent years he struggled greatly with his hearing that made talking on the phone nearly impossible even with special devices. There are many benefits, but also many challenges; but fortunately the positive outweighs the negative and we’ve learned to be patient and try to walk him through the trials and tribulations of technology use in older adulthood.

A Personal account by Beth Hodgson, writer for Carebuzz

Home Care San Antonio provides senior care in San Antonio, Helotes, Leon Springs, Castroville, Pearsall, and Pleasanton. For more help, please call Home Instead Senior Care San Antonio at 210-614-1132.

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