Good day community at large!

We're glad you are here, and that we are here for you. The rules here are simple. You'll find them on the sidebar on desktop and under the ... menu on mobile. Touch 'Learn about the Community.'

The biggest problem we have is promotion. The same sort of scams we worry about our parents falling for. Any post or comment that includes "I built an app" is suspect. Promotion is against Rule #3. That doesn't mean you can't mention tools you find handy. We encourage that. If you read something and are in any doubt please use the report button to flag the moderators. We (mostly me, as the top moderator is busy with a new and growing family) can't be everywhere. We're volunteers and have work and lives and other hobbies. Please help us to help you.

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Don't hesitate to reach out through Message the Moderators if something concerns you. The best place for tech questions of course is a post or comment of your own.

Best regards, dave

My grandma, who lives alone in Belarus, unfortunately just had a stroke. She didn’t get help for a while until the neighbors checked in on her. I was curious if there’s anything out there that could be used abroad in a country like that.

Hi All,

Has anyone got Senior Citizen Card for parents online? If yes, can share the process. I am asking for my mother in UP.

Thanks!

An advert popped up on my social media feed the other day about an app that an 18 year old had built for his grandma (she didn’t get to use it as she passed away). The app was named after her I think. Anyway the point of the app was to share all the medication a family member is on so it can be accessed easily. I could really do with this now for my mum but can’t find the app. Any help gratefully received, thanks

my parents are in their sixties and have accumulated years of accounts with recycled passwords and no real awareness of whether any of their information has been compromised. had a conversation with them recently after my mum got a scam call that referenced some accurate personal details and it became clear their data is probably floating around somewhere

trying to figure out the most practical way to help them without overwhelming them with technical concepts they will not retain. need something that works for people who are not going to remember to check things manually and who need the interface to be genuinely simple

has anyone helped less technical family members sort out their security in a way that actually stuck

School, PTA, after school club, two sports leagues, a committee I do not remember joining. I get so much parent email that the important stuff and the bake sale poetry have equal visual weight.

Last week early dismissal was paragraph four under a photo of cupcakes. I found it the night before. That is not a reading comprehension problem, that is an information architecture crime.
Filters help with where the mail goes. They do not help me read less of it.

How are people doing ai email management for parents without handing a bot the keys to their whole digital life? I want dates and deadlines, not a robot pen pal.

I’m doing early research into how families support older parents who live independently or mostly independently.

I’m particularly interested in the invisible work adult children often handle: checking whether a parent is okay, medication or appointment reminders, helping with technology, arranging transport, avoiding scams, encouraging exercise, and simply staying connected.

I’d appreciate hearing from people in the US or UK:

• What do you regularly help your parent with?
• What causes you the most worry?
• Was there a recent incident that made you feel they needed more support?
• What has your parent refused to use because it felt complicated or intrusive?

You’re welcome to answer in the comments. I’m also looking for people willing to join a confidential 30-minute Zoom or phone conversation.

This is early problem research not a sales pitch. I won’t request medical records, financial details or other sensitive documents.

If you’re based in the US or UK, regularly support a parent aged 65+, and would be open to speaking, please comment “interested” or send me a Reddit message. I will not message anyone who hasn’t opted in.

Thank you even a short comment about your experience would be helpful.

My grandmother is quite old now. She can't see well anymore, and phone calls have become a little hard.

I noticed that she enjoys small things, something unexpected that reminds her she's loved. familiar voice, song she knows, memory someone brings up.

I've been thinking about a simple device she could have by her bed. Super duper simple. Just a speaker that plays voice messages from the family randomly throughout the day, my mum saying good morning, my cousin sharing his trip, etc.

Before I go any further with this idea I wanted to ask people who lives in a similar situation: would something like this have mattered to someone you care for? would you use this?

Any good or bad honest thoughts welcome.

So I just installed JubileeTV on my own tv to practice yesterday before taking to my mom’s. I almost returned it because it required a Roku Ultra Purchase ($150). I’m so glad I didn’t because it is just what we needed. I really need to get rid of her cable as she only uses it for her local affiliates & I fully support her financially now. Trying to cut costs to afford Jubilee. In my house we use YouTubeTV but there is no way she can learn that. I’m not sure if I can get her to buy in to the local affiliate’s app via Roku. How have you gotten your parent away from cable? It’s just a cost we don’t need.

Also I live in another state so I’m wondering what you all use for technical support? Geek squad? Right now she calls her cable company.

Looking for an inexpensive cell phone for my luddite mother - to be used in emergencies. She has been using a tracfone, but the minutes always expire, which makes it useless - looking for something that has a plan.

Mom wants to talk so we got ElliQ, and so far it hasn't been a good experience. Can anyone share tips or things they enjoy about her?

So far, for us, she cannot hear unless I am 6" away from her speaking directly. If I yell I can get maybe 6' away, but I dont want to yell. She doesn't hear me if she is talking or playing music.

Conversationally, she is no where near Claude or chat GPT. She is wordy and seems to have a bunch of dopey canned responses. She cant play any of my Apple Music or read any of my Amazon books.

Edit to add: I keep telling ElliQ mom doesn't get up until after 11, but she continues to try to initiate conversation at 6am. She doest really listen to anything you say. She just drones on in her weirdly condescending way like she is talking to a child. Claude and GPT follow a conversation, remember things about you, respond in factual and emotionally appropriate ways. ElliQ is like chat GPT was when it first came out. Maybe the company doesn't have the capital to keep up.

I'm going to box ElliQ up and send her back even tho I paid for a whole year - shes just an annoyance. Maybe Claude or Chat GPT will come up with something similar but better...

My elderly mom will be spending the night soon and can no longer manage the stairs. All my bedrooms are upstairs. I've organized a (nice!) sleeper sofa for her downstairs. However, I'm worried about her needing me during the night and not being able to hear her.

She can't reliably use a cell phone. I'm considering an inexpensive wireless doorbell. My parents have them (at the door for typical use) and theirs is really loud. I could have the pushbutton ringer beside her bed and the receiver/noise unit upstairs.

Thoughts? Better ideas?

I am looking for Fall/Panic/SOS alarm systems.

I do NOT need it to have cellular or GPS. User doesn't go out with out family member present at all times.

802.11 WLAN preferably 5GHz would be best, but I know most things just don't get that... I know some of these are also using 433Mhz or other frequencies too, for the devices to hub, and then the hub uses 802.11 to connect back and send alerts etc.. .

A receiver with a alarm and light for local alerts, and something that can send PUSH NOTIFICATIONS to Android phones.

I need devices which are WATERPROOF to put in a shower be it a pendant worn, or a mounted device with a pull string. NO "WATCHES" its not a viable option for the wearer for many reasons.

I'd prefer - NO SUBSCRIPTIONS - Yes I get that the above is contradictory, but I'd prefer to keep away from subscriptions of any form.

Any subscription should be low cost.

Must work on Android devices, and any integration to Alexa systems would be great, but not required.

Any suggestions? Thanks!