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By the time you get to 90 you will probably have been taking some or other medication for a long time.  I don't think taking away independence is what you want to do but to try and aid it. FIL insisted on doing his own - it was part of his normal routine for the day.  He would stand at the kitchen counter and take the packets out one by one methodically from the plastic ice cream box they were kept in and when the pill had been extracted put the box to the other side.  Each pill was popped out onto what had once been a black microwaveable food tray so that it could be caught and seen and taken. You have to mark this up so that any carers and cleaners do not throw it away.I remember confusion and problems when the indigestion capsule was suddenly repackaged into a peel back blister pack as there were suddenly an awful lot of what looked like hundreds and thousands rolling around all over the place!I understand that the cassette system that the pharmacies use can have their  problems too in that pills remain stuck to the lid and may be difficult to take out.  It is however something that carers and care homes often require but may not be as good for someone doing their own meds who has failing sight.A syringe works well for drawing cough mixture out of a bottle.I gave my mother a big wall clock for the kitchen like a school clock which had the day and date on it.  That together with the newspaper seemed to mostly work for a long time.We had a kitchen whiteboard/chalkboard so that we could leave messages.  Carers might also use this so one would put washing in and another take it out.  With someone who can no longer read easily being able to use  something like Facetime would have been wonderful. Then I would have been able to see what I was being asked about. So many digital things are just far too difficult to read.As an army man with poor sight everything had to be placed just so that he could find it and not 'tidied away'.Cupboards were labelled with contents and shelves too - felt tip on sellotape that could be peeled off.  This was because it would drive him crazy when each different carer would ask where this or that was.  Continuity was a craved for dream.A radio controlled kitchen wall clock with day and date - just like a school or office or bank one - worked well for my mother.There were some wonderfully helpful people like the lady from the library who was supposed to change the talking books but instead actually just went and chatted about what was happening in the town. Whenever I remember her I send her a virtual hug.We had a small company who brought in a hot cooked lunch every day and their regular staff were cheerful and lovely to deal with in spite of their need to hurry to deliver the next meal.  MIL had always done all the cooking although FIL was a WW2 veteran and probably more independent self-sufficient than a lot of men today...  This was important and also worked because if we had relied on the carers they were nothing like as reliable and were completely overwhelmed by the number of people they were supposed to visit and the amount of time they were supposed to be spending with each one.Care homes and Care companies' offers were never quite the reality.There used to be a website/book called Teach Your Granny to Text.  It's true that the children can be better at teaching and persuading their grandparents to learn some tech - sharing the family challenge to keep in touch.There was a biscuit tin for friends who were welcome to come and make tea and have a chat. Keeping in touch was the biggest and continuing challenge and I can see it is going to continue to be with the constant tech changes.

Philippa Bond ● 387d

We found this very difficult because parents refused to use the mobile phone we tried to teach them early enough and then it was too late for them to be able to learn.Learning new things can depend on the amount of feeling in the fingers together with sight and hearing - and smell.  Each of these can diminish with age.It was interesting to hear the other day that hearing tests online were being recommended as hearing and sight also have a lot to do with memory - which is something we had already learned from the importance of multisensory teaching in dealing with dyslexia.  So making sure that any and all of those appointments are kept is extremely important.There used to be some pill dispenser that rang when pills were due.  We just used an ordinary box one but you have to be careful that any you have start with the right day of the week - some start with S and some with M.  I used Bluetack to place over the S so that the box was always opened the same way around with the S at the start of the week and not ending the week.  I used to fill two weeks up at a time.  The GP can be asked to request this be done by the pharmacy.You then depend on them to get it right.  It is hopeless for any as and when required meds.I met the guy who invented Alexa (who later sold it on) once and he was interested in the way it might be used with the elderly.  I have never used one (and it was too late for us) but it would be interesting to hear how others find it.  (The Youtube of an African Grey parrot saying Good Morning to it and giving it instructions is amusing.)I bought an Aunt an electric calendar clock but she kept on pulling the plug out on it so that didn't work.FIL kept on unplugging the DAB radio and so the pre-set stations did not work.The digital TV updates itself and suddenly the stations are not in the right place and there is a message on the screen which FIL could not read and would then have to wait for a visitor to sort out.  I stuck a sticker on the base saying which were the favourite stations so they could be found if there was any help around.  I got a very big button TV remote and set that but in fact there were too many options on it ie including video so had to blank those off.The RNIB talking clock was absolutely brilliant - you just press the top and it tells you the time AND it adjusts by itself (if and when in range of the base transmitter) when the clocks go back or forward.I used RNIB fluorescent dots to mark up 2 min intervals around the minute dial and made a pointer with Sugru as on an old fashioned 50s cooker on the microwave allowing for soup heating and porridge making.I pre-set the two big button phones with fast dial important numbers and listed the code no and name on laminated sheets.  Phones and laminated sheets were stuck with Bluetack to table/wall - and one for us in London so we could help if need be.  We couldn't have had cordless phones as these couldn't have been found if the handsets were not replaced.  I don't know what we would do today with the changes in phones.Those are just some of the things I tackled.  There is bound to be a lot more available now but change can be very difficult to tackle and you may have to think around a challenge!  You don't want to have to keep on changing if you can help it.  Good Luck.

Philippa Bond ● 388d