Dear Bebe, I recently bought my mother a smart phone for her birthday. I figured it would be a great way for her to communicate with the grandchildren, and to have in case of an emergency. There are also some great apps to challenge her brain, to track medication intake, and to keep better […]
How to Stay Safe on Facebook
Q. I recently went to my 50th high school reunion, and it seemed like many of the people there still knew each other — even those who lived on different sides of the country and hadn’t seen each other in years. I was excited to see everyone but felt out of the loop because I […]
Last Minute Tech Gifts for Mother’s Day
Dear Magic, It’s Mother’s Day on Sunday, and I want to get something extra special for my mother. She is pretty tech savvy and enjoys the newest technology. I really don’t know what the newest technology is for seniors who enjoy that kind of thing. I’m not too worried about getting it on time, because […]
Top 17 Articles of 2017
From the passing of the RAISE Family Caregivers Act to offer much-needed support to caregivers, to Trump’s tax overhaul, we covered a lot of ground in 2017. It was a year that included a massive data breach, the ACA almost being repealed, and amazing new technological innovations to help seniors age-in-place. At the Farr Law […]
Connecting with Our Grandkids in the Digital Age
Dear Magic, Similar to most children these days, our grandchildren are really into their phones, tablets, and computers. My husband and I are reluctant, however, to use Facebook, texting, Skype, and to learn how apps work, because we’ve been fine without them for all this time. Also, we have a hard time using them. Is […]
Senior Care Robots are Revolutionizing Health Care in Northern Virginia
Imagine this: An 80-year-old woman named Joan lives alone at home. In the past, she has forgotten to take her medicine and she often gets lonely. Rudy, who is about the size of a typical ten-year-old, comes in and reminds her to take her pills. He even brings her the pills and a glass of […]
Managing Long-Distance Caregiving with Technology
Dear Commander Bun Bun, I am a long-distance caregiver for my father, who has Parkinson’s and lives 2,000 miles away. My children are in school here, and my husband works for the government in DC, so I don’t foresee us moving to be near dad anything soon. Do you know about any good technology I […]
Some Amazing Apps Moms (and Everyone Else) Need in Their Lives
Q. My mother has had the same outdated phone for five years now. It is small and slow, and she squints when she tries to read emails, articles, or books on it. She has been learning a lot about technology and things she can do on the phone from her 8-year-old grandson, and has […]
New Technology for Better Aging
GPS SmartSole Many of us want to age-in-place as we get older. Unfortunately, in most cases, safety, health issues, and social isolation can interfere with that plan. This is why a growing number of seniors and their caregivers are turning to technology that helps them to age comfortably in their homes for as long as possible. New technology, including gadgets and apps, can remind seniors to take their medication and let others […]
Have You Prepared for Your Digital Afterlife? Most People Haven’t.
Q. My mother is very tech savvy. She is always on Facebook posting pictures, articles, and recipes. She uses online bill pay to pay most of her bills, and Microsoft Office 365 to keep a daily diary in Word and her monthly budget in Excel. She uses different passwords for everything, since she feels like […]
Preparing for Death on Social Media
Dear Commander Bun Bun, I was recently on Facebook and noticed a friend who had passed away a few years ago still has an active account. Isn’t there anything family members and friends can do to memorialize a loved one on social media when he or she passes away? Faye Spook —- Dear Faye, A small company, […]
New Technology for Seniors Who Are Aging-in-Place
Dear Commander Bun Bun, My mother insists on staying in her home as long as she can. I live 100 miles away, and can’t be there as often as I would like, and I worry about her safety and security. Is there any new technology out there to help her? Thanks! Hal Pinma —- Dear […]
New Apps for Dementia Patients
Many of us have grandchildren who are preteens. They play sports, enjoy video games and texting, and spend a lot of their time socializing with their friends. Academically, many preteens are discovering STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) in school, and schools are trying to hone those skills with extracurricular activities in computers, mathematics, […]
One Typo Could Cost You Your Computer
Q. My sister-in-law Janet is always on Facebook. She loves seeing what her children and grandchildren are up to, catching up with old friends, and playing Scrabble. She is a quick typist, and one day, in her haste, she recalls accidently typing “www.Facebookc.om.” Before she could correct it, she was redirected to a series of […]
Exciting New Innovations for Seniors from the M-Enabling Summit
Plant Nanny App The 5th annual M-Enabling Summit was recently held in Arlington, VA, attracting tech innovators from around the world and leaders of the accessibility community. With its theme of “Accessible Technologies and Environments for All,” the 2016 Summit provided a platform for empowering mobile technologies and focused on next-generation innovations and breakthroughs for […]
Is HIPAA Keeping Pace with Technology?
Dear Angel, There is so much technology available these days where you share health information. Things such as wearable fitness trackers, social media sites, and health apps did not exist when Congress enacted the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in the 90’s. When it comes to HIPAA and privacy of personal health information, […]
Virtual Reality for Seniors: Traveling Through Time and Reducing Pain
Helen, 83, loved recounting “the good old days” with friends at her assisted living facility. She would talk about her old neighborhood in Roanoke, the neighbors across the street, riding her bicycle with her friends, and swinging high into the clouds on a swing her father attached to a tree. She also mentioned her desire […]
Laser Shoes, Magic Carpets, & More: Technology to Combat Falls
Q. My parents are snowbirds. Every spring, I pick them up at the Lorton Auto Train and drop them off at their home, and in November, they go back to Florida for the winter. My father has had Parkinson’s for almost 20 years now, and the debilitating disease is taking its toll. Yesterday, when I arrived at the station, I noticed that it was extra hard to move my dad from his wheelchair to […]
Can a $6,000 Stuffed Seal Replace Caregivers?
Dear Baxter, I heard from my cousin, who told me that his mother recently leased a $6,000 stuffed seal to assist with stress relief, relaxation, and motivation. Supposedly when it came out, production of it was stalled at first with the fear that it would replace human caregiver. Have you heard of such a […]
Exciting Age-in-Place Technology from the 2015 mHealth Summit in DC
In Touch Health Robot When loved ones are living independently and you can’t be there all the time, you often worry about their safety and well-being. You may wonder if they are eating often enough, taking their medications, or what would happen if they fell. Now, with age-in-place technology, you can remotely monitor your loved […]