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I just had an aha moment as to why my parents refuse to get cable TV... the remotes are too complicated. Even I get baffled and I am usually good at figuring things out. Back when my Dad worked at GE he designed one of the first remotes.. it was so simple.... TV on or off... volume up or down.... change channels [of course back then we had a grand total of 3 to 4 channels]. Now look at today's remotes.

Last year Mom got a new washing machine... whatever happened to just ON/OFF,Hot, Cold, Heavy Load, Light Load, Delicate... and that was it. This machine was so complicated even Dad, who is an engineer, wasn't sure how to do a simple load of wash... plus the letter on the machine was in light blue which looked pretty but it was tough for aging eyes to read.

When we get into our 90's, I wonder what technology will be like then... will we need to sit in the dark because we can't figure out how to turn on the lights in the living room using our telephone???

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I'm just jumping in quickly with this: at my aunt's care home, the computer in the residents' lounge has a special desktop programme installed. When you switch on, you see the screen marked diagonally into four sections, red, blue, green and yellow, for email, internet, documents and… well there you go, I can't remember what the fourth was but I think it might have been Skype. - All clearly marked and an absolute doddle to use.

I was blown away - it was perfect for seniors. I tried to get it for mother but it's not Apple friendly. I'll look up the name of it and pass it on.
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We'll call the nearest 13 year old....
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A friend of my mom's had this desk type phone with pictures of family members next to the appropriate speed dial button. She had very poor vision and this was so easy to use.
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KEdwards, can you print the instructions on a label and stick it on the back of the phone? That's what we did and it helps Dad. I use the Avery mailing or shipping labels; some of them are just the right size.

FreqFlyer, what we used to do back in the old days before we all got caller ID was to call, let the phone ring twice, then hang up. Few minutes later we would call back and Mom, Dad or Sis knew it was a friendly call. And by that time they had opportunity to get to the phone so they weren't rushing.
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I guess it depends; yes, we welcome technologies that enhance our wellness and health and the many medical devices, diagnostics, etc that make life better.

But I will agree with most of the posts here, everything is complicated and I hear seniors including my mom (91) feeling like they are being left behind and isolating themselves from full living because they feel "dumb".

Pumping gas--everything is electronic, prompting 10 questions before you can even pump the gas--do you want to use debit, credit, cash, do you have a rewards card, do you want a car wash, etc BEFORE you can even select your gas grade and pump.

My mom doesn't know how to use a debit card, she can't remember a pass code.

Hearing aids, Bluetooth enabled.

Cell phones, buttons aren't user friendly for arthritic hands.

Folks can't see the tiny connection to plug it in for charging.

Wireless phone? My mom can't seat it right in the cradle to chArge. Her house is so old, it doesn't have a telephone jack in the tv room, or living room or any bedrooms but the MB in which she no longer sleeps. She can't hear the phone when she is in other rooms.

Microwaves? Coffee machines? They too have too many choices.

We may fare a little better because we use computers and electronics, but whT happens when we get forgetful, or our eyes go, our fingers aren't as nimble?

My hope is that youth of today will design useful tools, TVs electronics, appliances, etc which are simple and ADA accessible so we can remain as independent as possible and be able to operate our home comforts.
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I so agree. Everything has gotten too complicated. I got my mother a special remote that has the simple one-touch functions. Sometimes things get out of sync, but it is easier for her than the million-button remote. Most of the things on the remote were nothing she ever used.

Technology is getting overwhelming. Personally I am cell-phone... er mobile device-challenged. We're supposed to be able to talk on the phone and do computer stuff all at the same time. I end up just hanging up on people if I try to do anything else besides talk. And doing anything except a simple text? Forget about it! I'm too dumb for my smart phone.
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Autocorrect is a wonderful tool but you are correct not very intuitive. But make sure you have your reading glasses on. I have really sent some doozies! Same issue with tablets, so some of my posts here I can't even figure out. Most recently I was typing something about my dog, and it ended up dofg, or some such. And another cg read it, then went to the GOAT thread to try to figure out what the heck dofg was!
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Linda22-...you are so right...there is not a site left that does not want you to register to get your info... I guess it helps them figure out their advertising aims..
and so they can get their ads into your inbox.... Sometimes I wish I could go back to our family house, where 3 generations lived in a 3 story building... and we 2 radios, one telefon... a piano , a guitar, and books .... and mandatory Peace on Sundays ..... no stores open anywhere on Sundays!
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Back to your original post...I remember using those old ringer washing machines...painstakingly pulling soggy wet clothes out and running them through the ringer.

Washing machines that spun the clothes were a major step forward.
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An hour ago, I called a service in my mother's community that provides assistance w/household repairs and maintenance. I had called them on Monday morning regarding fixing her doorbell. Got their voice mail, so I left a message asking them to call me back. No call back, so here I am two days later calling them again. I get a human being, and ask what the status is w/my mother's doorbell. I'm told that their "Ipad is down" and that she can't look anything up for me, but as soon as it's up, she'll call me back.
Lol, when we used paper and pencils to schedule things, this would not have been a problem!
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