Is newer technology making it more difficult for Seniors?

Dhibe, I'm still using XP Pro even though it's not supported, but I am very careful what sites I vist and obviously don't visit any that aren't Norton identified as safe. I do plan to update but just don't feel like computer shopping now. I'd rather work in my garden.

Planned obsolescence wasn't perfected by Microsoft - I think we can credit the automakers for that. GE I was told at one time also didn't provide extended support for older appliances.

Soon the Woodward Cruise will be occurring and there will be old cars from the 20's cruising up and down one of the main highways here. It amazes me that somehow these old gems can be kept running but mechanics are reluctant to spend the time on a 20 year old car - "time to get another car" is the advice. Gotta keep buying those new cars, especially so GM can fiddle with the ignition switches, make mistakes, and still profit for years from the sale of cars with defective systems.

Gates was I think a marketing genius; he knew how to add more bells and whistles as well as release WIN versions that hadn't been completely debugged. And look where he is now - retired and very wealthy.

I'll leave it to VStefans to explain a batch file; it's been years since I've dealt with that tehnology and my memory is fuzzy.

A GUI is Graphical User Interface which I believe can be legitimately be credited to Steve Jobs who pioneered its use in Apple. DOS is Disk Operating System - your XP and WIN 7 are operating systems as well, but a lot easier (yes, really they are) to use than DOS.

When I first learned how to use computers back in the 90's, many law firms only had DOS based computers. No cutesy little icons, no easy to read instructions. If your computer has ever booted to a checkdisk (chkdsk) mode to scan your hard drives of potential errors, you'll see a monotonous blue screen. That's what we dealt with when DOS was standard. Or maybe the screen was black? I remember typing instructions on a black screen. Very hard on the eyes, but DOS was in fact fun to use.

If you didn't have GUIs on your computer, you'd have to type in commands instead of just clicking on a fancy icon or completely written out name of program. Can you imagine typing something like winxp.exe every time you wanted to open Windows?

It isn't just seniors who might be struggling, and actually I think that even though a lot of the individual control has been superceded, the GUI has made computing possible for a lot more people. There's just a lot of garbage that's not needed - junk that comes preloaded on a system which has time consuming to remove.

I have a collection of several Smart Computing special interest manuals that provide detailed and understandable instructions on using various operating systems as well as applications. I haven't seen these on the market for years, but I used to get them from Borders which had the best selection of them. There might still be some available from Smart Computing.

Hope this helps.

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.

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.

My mother is almost 84, and would ocassionally email and order things online. If the page design changed though, she'd be completely confused, or if she typed something wrong on the keyboard and got an error message, she acted like the computer was going to blow up. Her lack of effort at trying to learn a little more was frustrating, but now, I'm relieved that she has nothing to do with the computer. I'm sure she would have given all her identity and banking info out.
She's never been interested in Skype, has no idea how to use her ancient cell phone, doesn't use voice mail but does have an answering machine (but I'm not sure if she checks messages anymore). She and my father never got call waiting either! Which would drive me crazy...
Last summer, her t.v. provider changed, and she got a new remote, and that required me taking another vacation day from work to drive down and help her. It wasn't long before she hit a wrong button and 'lost' the use of her t.v. in her den, and for several weeks (until my next visit, when I reset the t.v.), she stayed in her bedroom, with a t.v. tray, so she could watch the t.v. that still responded to her remote.
I deal with technology every day, like I think we all do, and get around fine, but don't understand the how's or why's of why things work. My husband jokes that if he's no longer around, and I have any trouble with our equipment, I should probably just move! I think he's right! :)

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!

looloo, so glad to know there are other parents out there that don't have caller ID... plus my parent's answering machine broke about 4 years ago.... three years ago I was delighted to find at Target a nice answering machine but Dad didn't want to pay the price, as reasonable as it was, he said he will fix the old answering machine.... we are still waiting for that to happen....

In the mean time, whenever someone calls my parents house and there is no answer after 10 rings the caller gives up.... so Dad will call me asking if I was calling because he couldn't get to the phone in time. No, Dad, it wasn't me..... you really need to get caller ID.... but Dad said he doesn't want to pay the monthly fee.... [sigh].... and forget getting him a cellphone, he would misplace it 20 times a day like he does with his cane :)

When my Dad got his newest computer [he saves all his old computers and printers] he was surprised there was no instruction book.... so for the past three years he's been bugging me to help him find an instruction book at the major book retailers or to drop him off at the library to look for a book. Told Dad I doubt he would find a book, he needs to do like I do, hit a key and see what happens and learn from that. No, he wants a book. Told him to research it on the Internet, but if he did find what he wanted in a form of an instruction book, it would take him a week to print out 10 pages because he's still on dial-up in a huge metro area... he doesn't want to pay the cost of upgrading his internet speed..... oooooook.

Got mom the jitter bug phone bc it is advertised as being so easy for them to use.but once dementia takes hold forget about it. Mom calls HER # and leaves messages for me on her voice mail and gets upset that I don't call back. I programmed all the numbers and she still can't figure out how to call. The land line isn't faring much better these days either.

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.

I really appreciated my texting when my husband was in the hospital. I was too tired to talk, didn't feel like rehashing with everyone so I'd send a short text to everyone. I always take my iPad when family is in the hospital because I want to be able to research my questions. Well, there Mom was, in ER, slightly wigging out and dang if I wasn't able to pull up a Thursday night football game! Three hours of diversion from the endless waiting game.

Freqflyer... thanks much... did you ever strike a cord with Tech-problems and how they affect Seniors, judging by the many responses... My PC whiz son will enjoy your rendition... I copy/pasted it to e-mail to him... That Woodward Cruise also struck my nosiness... Not having grown up here I did not know this one living too far away...The many suggestion in your text will take a while to follow up... very gracious of you !! Google told me this:
Woodward Cruise The Woodward Dream Cruise occurs on the third Saturday in August along the original cruising strip in Detroit's northern suburbs. The event is a tribute to the classic Woodward cruisers and attracts approximately 1 million people[3] and 40,000 muscle cars, street rods, and custom, collector, and special interest vehicles........WOW.... a million folks, 40,000 oldies...!!! that should heat up the pavements a bit...!!

Linda, what I find hilarious is when I call the utility company to report a power outage and am advised that I can go online to check on the status of the outage.

It's also irritating when appliances come w/o any manuals and I have to search through pages to find what I need, or incur the cost of ink and paper to print out what used to be a standard accompaniment for a purchase.

Good idea to do your research while waiting in the hospital.

For anyone who wants to view photos of the Woodward Dream Cruise:

google/images?hl=en&q=woodward+dream+cruise&gbv=2&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ei=8USzU-mXDpKgyAThkoHoBA&ved=0CCUQsAQ

GA, when you're dealing with gastro, cardio and neuro, sometimes there's myopia that occurs. It's really important to have a family member watching the whole picture. I do find that my GPS and I have words sometimes...I was asking for directions to a street with a Spanish name that including the word "del" and she kept giving me the Dell stock report.....finally she asked me if I wanted to see a picture of a blue whale.

Linda, I've found those kinds of annoying "coincidences" as well. Google's searches sometimes return hits that have similar word structures but nothing to do with the actual search.

But from a Spanish name to Dell's stock to a blue whale is quite a journey!

The Woodward Cruise.... how awesome that looks.... cars that were easy to use, just a few push buttons or knobs.... window crank handles.... door lock where you actually had to put the key in to lock.... floor vents, which I really miss... side vent windows... ah, those huge chrome bumpers.... and you could tell one brand of car from other, not like today where everything in its class looks the same.

Todays new cars are way too complicated... computer screens... TV/video screens.... blue tooth.... heck, it's like driving your family room down the road. No wonder our parents keep hanging onto their old Cadillacs, Buicks, and Oldsmobiles.

And I plan to keep my 18 year old Jeep until the wheels fall off... I don't need to relearn where everything is :)

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.

sunflo2, you brought up some things I have forgotten about, like pumping gas, and microwaves.

I saw an ad for one of those new watch cellphones.... wonder if it comes with a magnifying glass?

Don't get me started on the programmable furnace thermostats, I had mine replaced couple decades ago with an old fashioned turn dial.... then later on with a very simple digital thermostat. My parents have a programmable one that they are always getting messed up, and I have no clue how to program it. Dad won't get a simple one, he doesn't want to pay for a new one.... [sigh]

YES

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.

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!

The iPad is down?! Now I have heard it all!

gladimhere -- I just got a call back, and they informed me that my mother cancelled the appt. I am throwing up my hands at this point.

Has anyone seen the Japanese robot called Pepper? It is designed to have emotional intelligence and carry on a conversation so that it can be a companion for elders and small children. It is about four feet high and has very expressive hands and natural gestures.

If you want to see Pepper in action, watch the press conference translated into English at: webcast.softbankmobile.co.jp/en/conference/20140605/index.html

The Japanese are quite keen on developing robots to help take care of the aging population, of whom they have more than we do in North America. Pepper is designed to learn from whatever situation he/she/it is placed in.

By the way, the Pepper website address is correct, but the hyperlink may not work - it doesn't work on my computer. I had to type it into the browser directly to get the site. It's a Japanese address.

Don't be put off by Pepper's Japanese manners. She actually bows to the audience. It might be fun to have a robot with nice medieval manners around the house. I think of it as a she because she seems to have a waist.

looloo, call and tell them your mom was so worried about how much it was going to cost...and how much is it going to be, really?? Then after you get a lower price you tell them sweetly that mom is mmm..."just a little confused sometimes..." and you are actually in charge of cancelling and uncancelling appointments. Bet it's not far from the truth. right? If it works, then both my Tale of the Tea Towel and your Debacle of the DoorBell can have happy endings.

I like big numbers on my cell phone. I DO NOT TEXT
I do not understand how todays schoolchildren can learn the language of texting but fail with a foreign language.
I learnt my multiplication tables so well I can answer quicker than a calculator but that is the extent of my expertise.
Love my computer it is such a mine of information . Email is wonderful.

I stil have the old fashion washer – Permanent Press, Fragile, etc.. Very very simple. The lady at Kmart said that the companies are no longer making those washers. That the new thing is electronic which requires being indoor. I don’t know what we’re going to do when this one crashes – it’s an outside washer.

I find that most of my siblings in the mainland rarely responds to my email. The in-thing is to go on Facebook, post there so that everyone reads your message. No one believes in privacy anymore. I refuse to cave in to FB. They have admitted to having programs that follow everywhere you go on the internet, sell your info to advertisers. And just recently – admitted to using some of you as experiments. FB believes that they can do whatever they want with Every Single Word and Photos you put in their site. I’m of the old school – I don’t trust anyone who thinks they’re above the law just because they were smart enough to put all those tiny prints you agreed in order to become a member.

My sis got me an Iphone because my cellfone was a dinosaur (flip open Samsung $30.00 prepaid cell phone.) I really tried to use her Iphone. I gave it back. I like my dinosaur phone. But, I did buy another phone with keyboards –except the numbers are so faded blue you cannot see it. They want me to use the screen to type in the numbers. Uhm.. how do you tap the number with your big finger on that small square? Oh, well, who goes around carrying that small skinny stick? have to find it somewhere in the bottom of the purse. Hello???? So, I'm back to squinting and angling the phone trying to see those faded blue numbers on the keyboard.

I am right with you Book. I do have a cell phone but rarely use it and seldom give out the number. I will probably upgrade to one with a camera but that is because the one I am looking at has an emergency panic button and they can locate you with GPS. no extra cost for the one endorced by the over 55s company whoose name I can't mention. I do like my laptop though

bookluvr, same here regarding the cellphone [or *sellphone* as the companies are always trying to get us to upgrade]. I have to laugh, if someone told us 20 years ago we would be typing with our thumbs, I would think they were out of their minds. I use my cell only for emergencies.... I do have the pull out keyboard for texting but I get too flustered trying to type and I give up and call the person instead. One advantage of texting, those who feel the need to talk LOUD on the cellphone now do texting, so the environment is a tad quieter :)

I don't have a Face Book account. If something very important is going on in someone's life, they can call me and tell me about it, and vise versa. My significant other has repeatedly told his grown daughter to stop posting photos of her young daughters on Face Book... you never know who will lift off a copy and use it elsewhere. Does she listen? No.

Veronica91, the abbreviation texting that the younger people use reminds me of short hand class in high school :) Where I work, we have been looking for new employees, and we will get e-mail cover sheets in text language.... if we find ourselves spending too much time using an acronyms dictionary, that resume goes to the bottom of the pile.

Wow fregflyer there is an acronyms dictionary?