Clear Sounds Amplified Phones

There are two things I like about this company right off the bat. First: They are a women-owned and they brag about it. Second: They put a video commercial up for their products, to offer additional visual and auditory information for consumers.

Clear Sounds: Hear How Good Life Can Be offers amplified phones, answering machines, bluetooth headsets and neckloops, earbuds, and more. In addition to communication equipment with mods for hearing impairment, there are large-button phones and backlit LCD screens for those with visual impairment too.

I want to get this for my Grandpa...

Presto Computerless Email is a great GREAT solution for a tech-shy person, like many of our parents and grandparents. This really neat service allows emails and pictures to be delivered to a printer in hard copy form. Presto points out that not everyone uses e-mail, and there's no doubt that loved ones could be missing out on family photos and stories without the use of email.


This is another "win-win" as I like to refer to. E-Mail users win by keeping in touch, non-e-mail users win by keeping in touch, and we all win because the frustration and confusion of a tech-breakdown is nearly eliminated.

Presto boasts the following features:

"-No Spam. Ever!
-Easy to use. Guaranteed.
-Easy to set up
-Personalized E-mail address
-Unlimited E-mail delivery
-Photos print perfectly
-Deliver documents
-E-letters
-Templates
-Newsstand"

Potential drawbacks that I've read about and can foresee include: the price of printer ink, difficulty repairing in the event of a breakdown, a monthly service charge no matter how much you use it.

Happy E-mailing/Reading :)

Aging in Place Technology Watch

Aging in Place Technology Watch is a great website that has information on "Industry Trends, Research & Analysis." The self-proclaimed content may sound a little dry, but once I started to dig into this website, I was hooked on much that author, Laurie Orlov, had to say.

In the January Newsletter, there's talk of the baby-boomers beginning to turn 65 and the effects of gaming on interpersonal communication and mental health (with some pros AND cons... how objective!).

Aging in Place Technology Watch January 2011 Newsletter

My favorite part of the newsletter was the observation that there is a distinct lack of continuity across every day devices. In my daily life I encounter my computer (Apple MacBook Pro), my cell phone (Motorola Droid), my iPod (Apple iPod Touch), and Netflix (via my Playstation 3). None of these devices have the same operating system, search engine, set of controls; for that matter, there's even variation between Netflix for a PC, TV, PS3, or Xbox. It's dizzying!

Happy-Neuron

More on brain health: I think you'll find that I'm very keen on a sharp reactive mind. That being said, I LOVE http://www.happy-neuron.com/! In fact, while researching for this entry, I've stopped to play Split Words twice.

This site offers free trials of all of the games, and it seems as though you can play without signing up for an account. Happy Neuron offers games that target improvement in attention, memory (word-finding), visual-spatial and executive function skills.

The Brain Fitness program has varying levels of difficulty for many games, and a Brain Fitness personal coach accompanies you on the website when you sign up for an account.

Happy brain health :)

GrandCare Systems

Wow! I stumbled upon a comprehensive system, a sort of "hub" for technological enhancement that reaches into many areas of areas of a person's life. Caregiver Technology is a company that specializes in keeping elders in their homes.

GrandCare Systems include Wellness Reporting on blood pressure, weight, and glucose- so that people who require close monitoring of certain things can measure and report from their own homes without a nurse or leaving the home.

Activities of Daily Living Alerts can call, text, or email if there has been a change in a person's daily routine.

Communication to Loved-One allows a person to receive emails and pictures directly to the touch-screen hub.

Communication between Caregivers & Family is a network that is established between caregivers and family members than can reduce the amount of routine phone calls being made and increase the quality of conversations by taking the focus off of medical issues.

Cognitive tools are available on the touch screen hub and have trivia, picture matching, a calendar, daily reminders, games, etc.

Happy independent living :)

Voice Amplification

If you live with a hearing impaired person or you are experiencing difficulty generating loudness with your voice (respiratory compromise, vocal rest orders, following a stroke, etc...) a voice amplification system may be right for you.

This one, from ZYGO Industries, Inc. features:

•   Loud, clear output from the small, 12 watt speaker
•   A headset microphone is supplied
    Optional High Performance mic's are available
•   Small size, very loud sound
    3-3/8" x 3-3/8" x 1-3/4"
•   Perfect for amplifying a communication aid's output
•   Up to 20 hours from a fully charged battery
•   Belt clip is built into the rugged ABS plastic housing
•   An adjustable waistband belt is supplied

 

 Instructions for use can be found here.

Happy voicing :)

ALS- Low Tech Communication and Interdependence

ALS is a topic that hits close to home. When I was a kid we lost my grandfather to ALS, and I know that his preserved ability to communicate via low-tech and high-tech communication systems was very important to our family.

I think this video captures the combination of using low-tech communication aids and the importance of communication to relationships. And I'm a sucker for romance...