As I've mentioned before, I'm watching my grandmothers age and deteriorate and become more dependent on their children and caregivers. And, as I watch this happen, I'm thinking about how I'm going to handle the same situation without anyone to take care of me. And one thing that strikes me is that I could handle it better in some respects because I'm comfortable with technology. If I couldn't manage grocery shopping for myself, I could order from grocery gateway. If I couldn't remember to take my meds, I could set up a series of alerts. My grandmothers aren't up on using today's technology, so they're dependent on their children to do these things.
However, it's not just interest and technological aptitude that keeps them from using technology, it's also cost. My grandmothers retired in the 1980s, calculating their expenses based on expenses that existed in the 1980s. They couldn't have anticipated the eventual need for $40 a month for internet or a data plan, plus the major capital investment of a new computer or device every few years. Even if they'd be interested, they probably couldn't afford it.
If retirement still exists when I'm a senior, the same thing will probably happen to me. If I retire when I'm in my 60s, I couldn't possibly budget for the evolution and cost of technology over the next 30 to 40 years. (And if retirement doesn't still exist when I'm a senior, I'll have to hoard money even more because I have to assume 20 years of incompetence based on my family history of Alzheimer's, so I won't be able to afford to keep up to date.)
So I propose that all senior citizens should get a needs-based financial supplement of some sort (a discount or a rebate or free services or something) to keep them in up-to-date telecommunications technology, by which I mean both devices and data/internet plans. I don't have specific dollar amounts in mind at the moment, but the funding should be enough that it's an absolute no-brainer to keep up to date.
I also think the program should start at age 65, even though 65-year-olds are perfectly capable of keeping themselves up to date if they have any interest in doing so. The reason for this is that elders seem to lose their ability to learn new things as they deteriorate and lose their faculties. They need to form habits and keep current before they start losing their faculties, so they can coast along on their existing knowledge once they lose the ability to learn. For example, my one grandmother lost the ability to learn about 10 years ago. If she had computer skills that were current to 2003, she wouldn't be able to use an iphone, but she could still order her groceries online.
I'm sure it would be an expensive program, but it would help keep people living in their own homes and independently for longer. By any standard, tech is cheaper than housing.
5 comments:
It's a great idea, as long as the deterioration doesn't involve mental deterioration that inhibits the use of technology. Your Alzheimer's assumption kind of negates the technology assumption.
That's why I'm proposing starting it as early as 65. (Even earlier would be good too, but would be less feasible since it's "for seniors".) At least based on my own grandmother, the inability to use technology because of mental deterioration is not an inability to use technology per se, it's more of an inability to learn new skills. The skill gaps I keep noticing just happen to be technology.
If they get the very latest technology at 65 and their mental deterioration doesn't start until 70, they'll already be in the habit of using the technology acquired between 65 and 70 when they lose the ability to learn new things. Then if they live another 10 years, they'll still be able to use 10-year-old technology. So that would be like if my grandmother could use the internet as it existed up to the year 2003, but couldn't manage an iphone or something. Still very useful!
Ah thanks, I didn't get that the first time around (although I see that you clearly wrote it...).
In my observation, the mental deterioration affects all learned skills, no matter when the person learned it. There are probably multiple forms of senile dementia that take multiple courses. (Bah.)
Yeah, I haven't researched, just observed, and loss of ability to learn is what I've observed.
It's also possible that loss of ability to learn comes before loss of existing skills. In which case, keeping up to date on tech would buy you some time, but not enough.
Maybe this is why you are happy when you learn certain things now? I never made the connection before.
For me, like many others, the scary issue is memory loss.
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