If you live far away from your elderly loved ones, it’s often hard to maintain the level of communication you’d like. It’s not always possible to schedule regular visits, but thankfully, many types of technology are easy for seniors to use. Below, learn about a few of the best ways you can communicate together and discover other helpful tips for staying in touch.
Use a Fax Machine
Did you know that old fax machine you thought was obsolete can actually become a great tool for your senior loved one to stay in touch? By subscribing to a service called Celery, you can send emails that are printed out through your loved one’s fax machine. Likewise, your loved one can send handwritten letters back through the same fax machine. Rather than being received via fax, the Celery service converts these letters into emails that you receive in your inbox. If your loved one is hesitant to use a computer, Celery is the perfect solution.
Get a Senior-Friendly Smartphone
Seniors who are more comfortable with technology might love having a tablet or smartphone to stay in touch. Many types of phones and tablets have an extremely low learning curve, making them easy to figure out and use. Some tech is even made just for seniors, such as the GrandPad tablet, which is also designed for people with vision impairments.
When you invest in a phone or tablet that can connect to the internet, there are countless ways to stay in touch. Getting your loved one on a social media site like Facebook allows them to add friends and share photos and messages. Similarly, creating a Skype account for your loved one allows them to video chat through their smartphone if a video calling feature isn’t already built into their device.
Get a Webcam
If your loved one has a laptop or desktop computer but doesn’t want to bother with a smartphone or tablet, you can still stay in touch via video chat by getting them a webcam. A webcam can turn just about any computer into a tool for making video calls.
Keep in mind that your loved one doesn’t have much experience with going online; it’s important to talk about ways to stay safe and protect personal information. Start by making sure your loved one has virus protection to block cyber attacks. Then, be sure to talk about issues such as preventing identity theft and avoiding scams.
Share Photos through a Digital Frame
While you can share photos through email and social media, another nice way to keep your loved one in the loop is to invest in a digital photo frame that they can hang in their home. With a device like an Aura Frame, you can share photos from your phone that will instantly show up in the frame. This is a great way to keep your loved one up-to-date with your family without them having to log onto a computer or use their phone.
Social isolation is a major cause for concern among the elderly. Not only can it lead to mental health issues like depression and anxiety, it can also make other health conditions worse. Thankfully, when you’re not able to visit as often as you’d like, there are numerous other ways to stay in touch. Solutions like a tablet, webcam or digital frame can make your loved one feel included no matter how tech savvy they are.
Guest post written by Mary Shannon
SeniorsMeet.org
